Chapter 77: To the Southwest
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 77: To the Southwest
In the dead of night, the dark elf woman, now freed from her bonds, stretched her limbs, savoring her newfound freedom.
Then, as if suddenly remembering her bare chest, she shot me a death glare. But my philosophy is not to dwell on the past, so I simply ignored her.
If you don't like it, come at me.
‘They’re still not awake, huh.’
Perhaps being tied to a tree was more comfortable than it looked, because the dark elf’s companions were still sleeping like they didn’t have a care in the world.
Even considering the difference in rank, wasn’t the gap in their skills a bit too wide?
Something felt off, but I quickly pushed the thought away.
My mind was already overloaded from the answer to my last question; I had no room to think about anything else.
‘...I hope it’s just paranoia.’
I had no concrete evidence for my suspicions, but there was no way Iris hadn't thought of the same thing.
I didn't want her to worry needlessly, so keeping it a secret for now seemed best.
Later, if I ever got the chance to contact the World Tree again, I would ask for its advice then.
Letting out a heavy sigh I didn't even realize I was holding, I got to my feet.
“You’re leaving?”
A listless voice came from behind me.
The dark elf woman wasn’t even looking in my direction.
“Yeah, I have to. It’s not like we’re going to fall in love and get married.”
“...”
Only then did her fierce gaze turn toward me, so intense it felt like it could pierce through my skull.
“What, you want me to touch your chest again?”
“...Get lost.”
She pulled a dagger from her chest and threatened me, looking just like a black cat.
I chuckled lightly and turned to leave.
“What is your purpose?”
What stopped me wasn't a suddenly thrown dagger or a sharp-tongued insult. It was a voice tinged with faint goodwill and curiosity.
“Why? You think I’m a spy for the Northern Empire?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. A dense human like you could never pull off being a spy.”
“...”
Suddenly, I have the urge to rape her.
As if sensing my thoughts, she quickly covered her chest. The sight was so absurd.
“Sorry, but flat chests aren’t my type, so don’t worry, I have no intention of touching you again.”
“...Not once, but twice, you touched my chest!”
“You should drink your milk. Otherwise, when you have a baby, the poor thing will starve.”
Thwack!
The moment I finished speaking, a dagger flew past my face and embedded itself in the tree trunk right next to me.
“Next time, it’s your head.”
For a moment, I thought of the Mana’s Vow, but then I remembered I was the only one who had promised to let her go without laying a finger on her.
‘...I’m fucked.’
The second I realized my mistake, I bolted with all my might.
But it was as if her rage had awakened something in her; the daggers she threw were laced with a faint aura. I was almost killed for real.
*
Once Kang Hyun-woo was completely out of sight, Asilla let out a heavy sigh, a mixture of many emotions, and finished untying her squad members.
She had never felt tired before, even after running through the forest until dawn on night missions. But today, her body felt unusually heavy.
Was it because of everything she had been through?
‘To think I’d have my breasts fondled by a human...’
And to make matters worse, she had disgracefully wet herself.
It was true that dark elves had a rather open view of sexuality, but as someone who hadn't even had her coming-of-age ceremony, she had a duty to protect her virginity.
From that perspective, being captured by the enemy and only having her breasts groped a little, instead of losing her virginity, was nothing short of a miracle. The treatment of female knights or spies captured in war was too grim to even mention.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened that he was a human, not a fellow elf.
No, on second thought, unlike the greasy-looking elves, she had to admit she kind of liked his sharp features!
‘What? Small?’
Thump!
“Aah?!”
“L-Leader?!”
After all that, touching her breasts, how could that be his reaction?
In the city, and even within her tribe, men were lining up to court her!
“...Hyun-woo.”
She had been unconscious, so she hadn't heard his entire conversation with his companion, but she clearly remembered the woman calling him Hyun-woo.
Asilla mulled over the name Kang Hyun-woo and vowed to her soul to sharpen her blade for the day they would meet again.
*
Just as night fell early in the forest, dawn also came quickly.
[Time remaining until next match: 45:37:17]
“...Hah.”
The first thing to greet my vision in the early morning was the timer floating in the air.
Less than two days remained.
According to the dark elf, it would take about two days on foot to get out of the Great Forest. If I hurried, I might be able to make it to the border city of Wavel.
That meant I had to get moving now.
‘Ugh, I don’t want to get up.’
Instinctively, I pulled Iris, who was using my arm as a pillow, into a tight hug like a doll. Her sweet scent enveloped me. And since she was naked, her softness was another delightful element that made me never want to let go.
Lying here like this, I felt like I could really fall back asleep.
‘Did I sleep for about two hours?’
By the time I released the dark elf and returned to the tent, it was already deep into the dawn. The accumulated fatigue made my body crave sleep, but I couldn't refuse Iris's temptations.
The result was that we spent the hours until just before dawn making love, reaffirming our feelings for each other.
It was great for me, but Iris, whose magic was suppressed, making her no different from a normal person, was on the verge of complete exhaustion. She didn't react much even when I hugged or caressed her.
Spending time like this would be nice, but as I said before, I had to get moving if I wanted to reach Wavel within the time limit.
Reluctantly, I gently shook Iris awake.
“Iris.”
“Mmm... Hyun-woo...?”
She was awake, but it seemed too much of an effort to open her eyes. She snuggled against me with her eyes squeezed shut, and I gently stroked her back.
“Sorry, we have a long way to go today. I think we should get up.”
“Okay...”
She couldn't even open her eyes properly, but the way she struggled to get up was adorable. I laid her back down and started massaging her waist and hips.
She’d been put through the wringer by me all morning, so her muscles were probably quite tense.
“Ah, aaht...♡ Hyun-woo, your hands are so naughty...♡”
“...Be quiet.”
My morning wood was already making itself known. If she kept tempting me, the entire morning might just evaporate.
Perhaps Iris was just teasing, because she started humming and quietly accepted my touch.
After a while, the massage seemed to loosen her up. Iris stretched and began to change her clothes. The problem, however, was me.
The way her breasts jiggled as she stretched was more stimulating than I could have imagined.
In the end, my partner went beyond morning wood and was fully resurrected. Iris noticed and sent me a suggestive look, but I managed to hold back with superhuman patience.
Leaving a disappointed Iris behind, I hurried to prepare for our departure after a simple breakfast.
“Iris, you remember what I told you yesterday, right?”
“Yes, you said we’re going to a border city called Wavel, right?”
“Right, but...”
The dark elf had said it was about a two-day walk to the southwest, but thinking about it now, there was one major problem.
“...I don’t know which way is southwest.”
In a forest like this, where the trees blocked out even the sun, I couldn't tell east from south. It was strange that I had packed all sorts of survival gear but forgotten a compass, but it was too late for regrets.
I was seriously considering cutting down a tree to find the direction from its rings when she spoke.
“Southwest is that way.”
Iris pointed confidently toward a nondescript patch of bushes. Of course, she wouldn't just say something random, but how did she figure out the direction in a forest like this?
“Is finding your way in a forest an elven ability?”
“Of course not. Jin told me.”
“Jin?”
At that moment, a chill ran down my spine as I felt an immense presence.
It was similar to what I’d felt when I first sensed the Wendigo, but this aura was far more intense.
“Let me introduce you properly. This is Jin, the high-level wind spirit I have a contract with. He can’t manifest because of the sealing device, but simple conversations and help like this are possible. I couldn’t call him in the underground cavern because of the barrier, but it seems to be fine now.”
Iris was smiling as she spoke, but I couldn't bring myself to smile back.
The pressure was immense even without him manifesting—it was comparable to the Minotaur in its berserk state.
I felt like I had just caught an unintentional glimpse of Iris's true prowess as a spirit user.
Because of the sealing device, the amount of magic I could feel from Iris was so minuscule that I sometimes mistook her for a normal person.
But I was reminded once again.
The woman by my side was, without a doubt, an 8th Circle Archmage, said to have transcended the limits of humanity.
‘...8th Circle.’
My battle with the Minotaur had brought me to the 4th Circle, and though I wasn't certain, I had also made some progress in my swordsmanship.
I was satisfied with the long-awaited results, filled with a sense of accomplishment.
But now, a thought occurred to me.
Was I using my satisfaction with my current self as an excuse to become complacent?
It was an undeniable fact that my path to the 4th Circle had been abnormally fast compared to others.
But I had faced just as much hardship.
I had to risk my life.
Was I unconsciously trying to be content with where I was now because I was afraid of crossing that line between life and death again?
Ting—
[An additional reward for defeating the entity: Minotaur has been provided.]
[You have acquired the skill: Berserk.]
[Berserk]
[Grade: Rare (Growth Type)]
[Temporarily increases physical strength.]
[Stamina consumption increases while the skill is active.]
I stared blankly at the screen that appeared before me.
More than the joy of gaining a new skill, I let out a hollow laugh at the app's shamelessness, popping up a notification even at a time like this.
“Hyun-woo?”
After a good laugh, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.
Maybe I had been worrying about something that was an incredible luxury.
If I hadn't gotten the app, my life would have been one of struggling in poverty, dying as my lifespan allowed without leaving any trace behind.
But here I was, having reached the 4th Circle—a realm many mages never attain—just by risking my life a little.
‘In the end, all I have to do is not die.’
It was perhaps too simple a conclusion for all my worrying, but the source of the unpleasant anxiety that had been gripping my heart was a Heart Demon.
It was a mental illness, a kind of psychological stress that arose because my mind couldn't keep up with my body's rapid strengthening. The reward for breaking through it on my own was greater than I could have imagined.
A realm known throughout centuries of magical history as the point where a mage begins to walk their own path.
Kang Hyun-woo had taken his first step toward the fifth brilliant ring, the 5th Circle.