How to Be Hated
Boom! Crunch! Thump!
It had already been roughly three hours since I entered the illusion maze barrier. After barely managing to put down a single Death Knight, I quickened my steps.
I'm almost there now.
This place constantly reshaped its layout at regular intervals, so it was easy to mistake it for a labyrinth with no fixed paths. In truth, though, it followed subtle patterns. I'd used those patterns to pinpoint exactly where Verdan and Sara were located.
I had just advanced a little farther when the sounds reached me.
Clang! Boom! Crack!
A tremendous clamor echoed from beyond a corner I couldn't yet see. Through the mana pulsing out from those collisions, I sensed the aftermath of immense power and immediately realized Sara was the one fighting up ahead.
I didn't bother conserving my stamina. I sprinted at full speed toward the source of the impact.
Moments later, I reached a fairly wide passageway and found Sara delivering the final blow to the last remaining Death Knight. She gripped the crushed skull of the fallen monster and turned her head toward me.
"Huh? What are you doing here?"
Her round eyes brimmed with surprise and relief. But my attention wasn't on her—it was locked on the Death Knight still clutched in her hand. Even with its head smashed to pieces, the creature kept twitching. Then it began emitting a sickly green glow.
I shouted without hesitation.
"Get away!"
"It's dangerous!"
Verdan seemed to notice the creature's suspicious behavior at the same time and issued his own warning. But the Death Knight was a fraction faster. As if squeezing out the last of its strength before oblivion, it clamped both hands around Sara's forearm.
"Wh-what is this? Let go!"
Sara frantically hammered her fist down, severing its wrist, but the green light had already reached its peak intensity.
I dashed forward instantly, pulling out threads of infinity and hurling them toward her.
Damn it. This is too close.
My instincts screamed that the Death Knight's self-destruct would trigger faster than my threads could pull her to safety.
Whoosh!
The infinite threads coiled around Sara's waist. At the exact moment the Death Knight was about to explode—
"Huh...?"
Verdan, who had somehow closed the distance in that split second, wrapped his arms around her.
BOOM!
The force of the explosion combined with my pulling threads sent them both tumbling through the air before they crashed to the ground. Where the Death Knight had detonated, the floor had melted into a horrific slurry, corroded by the shockwave and the toxic mana embedded within it.
I rushed over and checked on both of them immediately.
"Are you both all right?"
Even as I asked, I grimaced. Verdan's back—directly hit by the blast—had melted all the way down to his spine. Sara, though not completely unscathed by the shock, staggered for a moment in confusion before regaining her senses and forcing herself upright.
"Ugh... I'm fine. But what about Professor Verdan?"
When I didn't answer and simply looked to the side, Sara followed my gaze. The moment she saw Verdan, a horrified cry tore from her throat.
"P-Professor Verdan!"
She dropped to the floor and began crawling toward him, reaching out to touch the wound. I stopped her urgently.
"Calm down! He's been poisoned. If you touch it, you'll be infected too!"
"B-but... he shielded me..."
"That's exactly why you need to stay clear-headed!"
My sharp rebuke finally seemed to snap her back to reason. She took several deep breaths, then pulled a potion from her pouch and poured it over Verdan's wound. The injury showed no sign of regenerating.
When she saw no improvement, her eyes trembled violently. She turned to me.
"L-Luan. Do you have an antidote?"
"Yes. Here."
"Th-thank you."
I handed her the antidote I'd already prepared. She thanked me and used it at once. But the poison coursing through Verdan was the powerful necromantic toxin of the lich Huscular. A store-bought antidote had no chance of working.
When nothing changed, Sara seemed to sense the inevitable. Tears began streaming down her face.
"Sob... Hic... No. Please, no... Professor Verdan, wake up! You can't die!"
Even as she tried to treat him, Verdan's complexion grew paler and paler until it resembled a corpse.
Watching Sara cry, I clenched my fists tightly. Reality was harsher than I'd anticipated. Seeing her tear-streaked face felt like someone was crushing my heart. Regret for not acting sooner and the helplessness of being unable to do anything weighed heavily on my shoulders.
Still, I couldn't give up now.
Is it even possible?
I reread the description of the unique skill I'd acquired a month ago over and over in my mind.
Rapist's Holy Water: Grants healing properties to semen upon ejaculation inside a target. The effect strengthens according to Rape Level and fully restores all damage at a value of 100.
All damage.
If that was true, my semen could rival an elixir once my Rape Level reached 100. Even if it fell a little short, it should still be enough to neutralize Huscular's toxin and save Verdan.
The problem was that using this skill required me to rape a woman. And not just any woman—the grieving benefactor before me.
Would Sara accept it?
No matter how fond she was of Verdan, could she really offer her purity to save someone who wasn't even her lover? Under normal circumstances I would have said no without hesitation. But the situation was far too extreme.
Right now, Sara's eyes held the unmistakable light of someone who had fallen completely in love with the man who had taken an explosion for her. The profound affection mixed with her sorrow was proof enough.
After weighing my options for a moment, I felt a possibility and made my decision.
Right. Let's do it.
I would rape Sara. She would probably come to despise and loathe me after this, but if it meant she could be happy, then it was worth it.
I cast aside the last traces of hesitation, put on a sleazy smile, and spoke.
"Professor. Do you want to save Professor Verdan?"
"What? You... don't tell me you have a way?"
Sara, who had been preparing to say her final goodbye, lifted her head sharply at my words, a spark of hope in her eyes. But when she caught sight of my vulgar expression, her face stiffened slightly.
I looked down at her and nodded.
"Yes. I can save Professor Verdan."
"R-really? Then hurry and save him! Please? I'll never forget this kindness!"
Her face brightened instantly. The fact that she didn't even suspect me showed just how much she trusted me.
And now I had to betray that trust.
Suppressing the way my lips wanted to droop, I forced them into an even wider grin and extended my index finger.
"There's just one condition."
"Condition? It doesn't matter what it is! I'll accept anything, so please just save Professor Verdan! I'm begging you!"
She agreed without the slightest hesitation. Seeing her reaction, it seemed I didn't need to worry about her refusing. The current Sara would gladly offer her body if it meant saving Verdan.
Feeling my lips curl upward strangely, I leaned close to her ear and whispered.
"Then have sex with me."
"All right! Sex or whatever—... What did you just say? You... what did you just say?"
Sara had answered reflexively, but the meaning finally sank in and she stared at me blankly. I could sense her desperate unwillingness to accept this reality. It showed just how shocking my words were to her.
I gently took her hand. I stroked the back of her small but strong hand, then yanked her into my arms. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I repeated myself.
"Have sex with me. Then I'll save Professor Verdan."
"Ah..."
With a sigh, the light in Sara's eyes went out. But only for a moment. She shook her head as if she couldn't believe it and forced an awkward smile.
"Th-this is a joke, right? Luan. That's not funny."
"Why do you think it's a joke?"
"B-because you'd never do something like this! M-maybe I'm dreaming? Or maybe I passed out from the explosion and this is all a hallucination! Right?"
Her desperate expression begged me to tell her it was true. I met her gaze and slid the hand around her waist down to squeeze her ass. The firm, toned yet soft flesh filled my palm.
"Eek!? L-let go!"
The rough, kneading grip brought her back to reality through the pain. She tried to slap my hand away with a face on the verge of tears. Before she could, I warned her.
"Stay still. Don't you want to save Professor Verdan?"
"Y-you... are you really Luan?"
"Yes. This is my true self. Now do you understand? So what will you do? Will you have sex with me and save Professor Verdan? Or will you just let him die?"
Faced with the choice, Sara's face twisted in agony. The shock of betrayal and utter misery leaked out as fat tears. Her eyes, now filled with hatred, stared straight at me as she spat out the words.
"You really... can save him, right?"
"Of course. If not, you can kill me right here."
"...Then just get it over with. We don't have much time."
Sara turned her head away as if resigned to everything and closed her eyes.
I let out a soft chuckle.
"Professor. You can't say it like that."
"...What?"
"The positions have reversed now. This isn't you allowing it—it's me granting you a favor. So beg properly."
I jerked my chin, demanding sincerity. Sara ground her teeth audibly before lowering her head.
"Please. I'm begging you. Save Professor Verdan. I'll do anything."
"Good girl. Now go over there, put your hands on the wall, and stick your ass out. Make it easy for me to put it in."
"...Understood."
With movements so stiff it looked like she wanted to kill me on the spot, Sara walked to the wall, placed her hands against it, and bent at the waist, thrusting her rear toward me. Her generous ass, wrapped in formal trousers, captured my gaze. I placed my hand on it and stroked gently.
"Ugh!"
Sara let out a disgusted groan. After fondling her ass for a moment, I grabbed the waistband of her pants with both hands and yanked.
Riiip!
The formal trousers tore apart, revealing her plump mound covered by black lace panties. Sara was horrified.
"What the hell are you doing right now!"
"What do you mean? I'm making a hole to fuck you through."
"You could have just taken them off!"
"That wouldn't be any fun. Stay still. If you keep resisting, Professor Verdan dies."
"Kgh... You piece of trash."
Her anger must have been overwhelming; her speech had slipped back into casual tone. I didn't bother pointing it out and simply ripped her panties off. At last, Sara's completely bare pussy was exposed.
Her pussy was surprisingly small for someone over 170 centimeters tall. It was clamped so tightly shut that even inserting my cock looked difficult. I spread her folds slightly and peered inside.
"Hmm... So you've never used it before, after all."
"......"
"Too bad for Professor Verdan. He won't get to take your virgin pussy—I'm claiming it instead."
"Shut up."
"Don't want to. Or should I just stop here? I don't mind either way."
When I pretended to pull away from her pussy, Sara quickly reached back and grabbed my wrist.
"Wait! ...Fine. I won't resist anymore, so just continue. Please."
"Well, if you insist. Then I'll touch your pussy again. Is that okay?"
"...Yes."
Having received her coerced permission, I brought my hand back to her folds.
I can't just shove it in.
The hole was so small that doing it like this would cause her terrible pain. To her it probably didn't matter either way, but I wanted to spare her at least some of that suffering.
Yet no matter how I caressed her, there was no sign of moisture. After some thought, I gave up on her pussy for now.
"Professor. Look this way."
"What? Is there some pro—mmph!?"
The moment Sara turned her head, I sealed her lips with mine before she could pull away.