Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Similar People
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We tangled our bodies together inside the narrow tree hollow with Kang Hye-seon.
The act ended after exactly three rounds.
There was still time left, but I took her condition into account.
"Cough... Hack. Ahem."
Kang Hye-seon coughed with her head bowed.
A thick liquid dripped down her chin.
"S-Sorry. I tried to swallow it, but it was more bitter than I thought..."
"It's fine."
I looked at her with a strange feeling.
I hadn't expected this, but once we were intimate, she was truly obedient.
The desire to have her grew even stronger in my heart.
"Let's head out."
"Huh? Oh, it's over now...?"
"Yeah. Disappointed?"
"N-No. It was good... Yeah."
Kang Hye-seon waved her hand at my question.
In truth, I knew she was fully satisfied.
That's why I'd asked for one last blowjob because I wanted it.
She's really ambiguous, isn't she?
Kang Hye-seon struggled with oral.
She tried hard in various ways, but it was awkwardly obvious.
All the signs pointed to one possibility, but I didn't bother asking her outright.
"Haa... The night air feels refreshing."
We pushed aside the log and stepped outside.
The air was refreshing, just as she said.
Both of us were still hot from exertion, so we didn't feel cold.
"Any scrapes or injuries anywhere?"
"Uh... No."
"Check again. You might not have noticed in the heat of the moment."
I could feel Kang Hye-seon blushing at my words again.
Enjoying her reaction, I tuned my ears to the sounds around us.
Shhhh
Drip drip
Amid the weakened rain from evening, I heard the sound of flowing water.
"Hye-seon, take my hand."
"Okay."
Kang Hye-seon gently placed her hand over mine.
I led her toward the sound of the water.
"How did you know about this?"
"I've been hearing it for a while."
"Your hearing is amazing."
My guess was right.
Rainwater had gathered into a thin stream flowing down.
Water dripped from the leaves of a large broadleaf tree a bit higher than my head.
"Thirsty, right?"
We quenched our thirst and washed our bodies under the thin stream.
Then we returned through the damp tree roots.
Swoosh
I sat down and silently spread my arms, and Kang Hye-seon naturally slipped into my embrace.
We dried our wet bodies with each other's warmth.
We left the log as it was.
There didn't seem to be any dangerous wild animals or monsters in these mountains.
Come to think of it, if there were creatures dangerous enough for me, that log wouldn't help anyway.
"Hye-seon."
How long had we sat in silence?
As I fondled her breast, I quietly called her name.
"Yes."
"It was tough, wasn't it?"
It felt like the right moment now.
Her body and mind had been thoroughly shaken, left soft and pliant.
"N-No. I'm really fine. It was... good."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. You kept saying it felt good too..."
That wasn't what I meant.
Kang Hye-seon had misinterpreted my question.
"Right. It was really good for me too."
"Ahem. Glad to hear it."
Since she had misunderstood, I just kept the conversation going.
I praised specific things I liked about her in detail.
"Hye-seon, your waist is slim, but your hips are wide."
"W-Well..."
"Your butt is firm, and oh, your breasts have such nice bounce."
I was explicit even about specific body parts.
About her genitals too.
It was sincere, so no need to hold back.
"Your body is great, but what I liked most was that part."
"What... part?"
Kang Hye-seon was embarrassed by my frank words.
But pleased at the same time.
She wanted to hear more praise, not brush it off.
"Your heart. You accepted me so well."
"Ah... Hee. True. But I liked it too."
I pressed on.
"That's why I want you by my side always."
"Pardon?"
"I want you. All of you."
Kang Hye-seon paused her response.
"I know you're good at leading people..."
The rain had stopped before I knew it.
Cricket chirps began to fill the air.
"You're doing well now, and you'll keep doing well."
"......"
"But isn't it tiring?"
During our intimacy, I'd told her to let everything go.
Maybe she really had.
In this Gate space, she'd forgotten reality's problems, if only briefly.
And so we spent dreamlike time together.
"It'll get harder from now on. How many Gates are near Yongsan Station? You've scouted them all, right?"
Now it was time to wake from the dream and face reality.
"It's not just the nearby Gates. Monsters will pour out from collapsed Gates farther away. They'll move seeking food."
Can you keep bearing this reality alone?
"What about food? It might be okay now, but later? Rescuing more people will speed up consumption."
I pressed Kang Hye-seon hard.
"Living conditions too. Hygiene issues are already visible—what if disease breaks out?"
I crushed her ruthlessly.
"It's all on you, Hye-seon. No matter how well you do, someone will curse you."
Kang Hye-seon looked bewildered by the sudden shift in mood.
But only briefly.
"I know. I just do my best in the given situation."
The woman nestled in my arms vanished.
The swordswoman leading a faction answered.
"Keep struggling alone? Until when?"
I whispered to her.
"My level is much higher than yours."
"How can you be so sure...?"
"I have related skills. It's not a lie. You can believe me."
I hugged the swordswoman tighter.
She struggled briefly, but I pinned her with strength.
"Come to me. We're smoothly resolving Samira's food issues. I'll protect Samira from all threats."
Stay in my arms and stop.
I offered her an easy, comfortable path.
"Is it true? How are you handling food...?"
"It's true. The info we spread in the plaza is just a fraction. You don't know much."
Kang Hye-seon wouldn't answer right away.
She's smart.
"You can shower daily, sleep soundly... eat warm meals."
I felt the tension drain from her body.
As I fondled her breast like before the talk began, I continued.
"Stand by my side. There's much you can do in Samira."
Then I lowered my head.
Cupping her face, I kissed her.
Kang Hye-seon didn't resist.
After conquering this Gate and exiting, I should hear her answer.
Kang Hye-seon fell asleep briefly in my arms.
We set off at dawn.
"From here, it does look like animal claw marks."
Kang Hye-seon said as she walked beside me.
This was a gentle hillside.
In other words, the drop point itself was at quite a high elevation.
"If we hurry, we can finish today?"
"Can't say for sure. It might be higher up close."
The mountain peak looked close visually.
And not too tall.
But walking might prove otherwise.
We'd wasted time arriving and it turning to night, so no margin for error.
Less than two days left now.
"Finding the Goblin Shaman once we arrive is a task too."
"Right. We really need to hustle. Good thing the rain stopped..."
Kang Hye-seon swung a branch she'd picked up at the start like a machete.
Bushes blocking the path sliced away easily.
It was her skill.
She'd done kendo for years; it seemed influenced by that.
Physical enhancement, increased cutting power... and what else?
Like how I'd revealed my experience-related skills.
Kang Hye-seon had briefly shared hers.
She got stronger with a sword.
And it didn't have to be a bladed weapon.
Just something she could hold and swing.
Many had Fundamental Skills with constraints like hers.
From our investigations, greater constraints meant greater power.
Hers doesn't seem that constrained.
Hard to tell.
The difference in her combat power with and without a sword.
Anyway, her skill broadly fell under attack skills.
Not as rare as pure attack skills, but still valuable with high growth potential.
"Ah... We go down then up again."
After uphill for a while, a plateau appeared.
High enough that the path to the peak was visible at a glance.
"Or we could loop wide around that way."
"Which is faster?"
Straight to the peak meant crossing a valley.
A significant descent then ascent.
Rightward loop was gentler uphill.
Hard to judge.
"Hmm."
I paused to think.
Guess: even via valley, we could summit today.
Heading straight after sighting the peak is safest...
No human trails in these mountains.
No signs obviously.
"Could get lost, so valley it is..."
"Yeah. Circling might leave us halfway."
I stopped mid-sentence and squinted.
"Yi Hyun?"
"See that?"
I pointed.
Kang Hye-seon focused in that direction.
"Where?"
"The treeless spot. Looks artificial."
"Ah, yeah. Like a hole."
"Look closer."
A thin wisp of white smoke rose faintly from the hole.
We headed through the valley.
Chance of people there.
Thought it was total wilderness.
I'd braced to starve until Gate clear.
Unknown berries and mushrooms in mountains, but unsure if edible.
Hunting beasts? Gave up quick.
Better focus energy on Gate.
"Might scrounge food if lucky."
"Yeah, if settlement."
Beg or steal.
Thought of filling stomachs sped our steps.
Soon, a smell wafted.
Burning smell?
Wood smoke.
Rain till dawn raised odds of people.
"Kinda weird."
Smell thickened as we walked.
Kang Hye-seon wrinkled her nose slightly.
"Smells too strong? Acrid..."
"Yeah."
Could cooking smell this intense?
Answer came quick.
"Huh? Yi Hyun."
"Whew... No good."
Fire.
Unbelievable, but fire.
"Let's skirt it quick."
"Wait. Village there..."
Rude, low wooden fence visible.
Flames rose behind it.
Not wildfire.
"Yeah. So?"
"Huh? Just pass by?"
Obviously skirt.
No food chance.
Our goal: conquer Gate. Village irrelevant to mission.
"H-Help! Kyaaak!"
Flames grew.
Stranger's scream too.
"Save people at least..."
"How? Jump into flames?"
"Ah..."
Kang Hye-seon speechless at my words.
"Hye-seon. Mission only. Time's short."
She knew.
No sharp solution.
"Think of those outside."
"Yeah... Right."
She nodded eventually.
Then.
Creeak
Gate in fence opened; naked woman crawled out.
Clutching something.
"Heh heh heh. Hey, this bitch crawling to escape?"
Man emerged.
Grabbed fleeing woman's hair, dragged back inside.
"Crazy!"
Kang Hye-seon lunged.
I grabbed her wrist.
"Hye-seon."
"Let go! That's no stray fire!"
Man's casual attitude: we thought same.
"Someone set it."
"I know. Still, we pass. No time."
"But..."
Kang Hye-seon had pleased me till now.
First time frustrating.
I yanked her forcefully.
She followed reluctantly.
"Let my mom go!"
"Argh! You little shit!"
Before few steps, boy's voice.
Flames surged beyond fence.
Brief scream cut short.
Soon, beastly wail from woman.
"Ah."
In chaos, Kang Hye-seon shook off my hand.
"No time."
I tried grabbing again.
She aimed thick branch at me.
Like a sword.
Kang Hye-seon stood firm before me.
Heading to peak alone now. Her last words echoed. What do you live for, Yi Hyun? Ridiculous question. Wanting to live is obvious. Yet strangely, it lingered in my mind.