The Breeder's Collar and the Undead Warden

p>The perception-blocking trap placed on the door had finally been lifted.

p>As a result, the entity Han Seah began to recognize the surrounding structures.

p>"...Huh?"

p>Her bewildered voice came from behind me.

p>Gripping the doorknob, I slowly turned around.

p>Her gaze was fixed precisely on the black door right in front of me.

p>"...Just a moment."

p>The expressionless face from moments ago had noticeably hardened.

p>"What... is this?"

p>She kept glancing between the walls and the door, as if she couldn't believe what was happening.

p>It was as though something that had ceased to exist moments ago had suddenly intruded into reality.

p>"...I don't know either."

p>It was best to keep the fact that a perception-blocking trap had been placed on the door a secret.

p>It would only complicate things to explain how I knew.

p>"...Hoo."

p>Han Seah let out a short breath and slowly adjusted her grip on her pistol.

p>"Jihoo."

p>"...Yes."

p>"Step back."

p>She took a step in front of me and positioned herself to guard the door.

p>The barrel of her gun slowly aimed at the narrow opening.

p>"...There are occasionally other passages within dungeons that have already been cleared."

p>She said, her voice low and tense.

p>"Normally, such passages connect to secret rooms where hidden resources are stored."

p>"But... something feels off."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

p>"Even more so that it's only visible to Jihoo."

p>"...Does this look dangerous?"

p>"Extremely."

p>Her answer was immediate.

p>Yet.

p>She didn't suggest fleeing.

p>Instead, after a brief silence, she carefully peered inside the door.

p>A complete darkness with not a single ray of light.

p>And from somewhere within, a faintly felt, grotesque sense of pressure.

p>Her narrowed gaze stayed fixed on the inner darkness.

p>"...Without entering, there's no way to know what's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inside."

p>Click.

p>Han Seah released the safety on her pistol.

p>"Normally, reporting this straight to headquarters would be the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠correct decision..."

p>She checked her communicator for a moment, then furrowed her brows.

p>"...No signal."

p>"Especially now."

p>Whether the lack of signal was a coincidence or intentional remained unclear.

p>But if it was intentional, what waited ahead was... something.

p>"...Senior."

p>"Yes?"

p>"Are you going in?"

p>After a pause, Han Seah answered in a low, firm voice.

p>"Discovering a hidden area is truly important."

p>"Besides, if we leave it like this, another company might snatch it..."

p>She looked directly at me.

p>"...But you must never leave my side."

p>"...Understood."

p>I followed her toward the inside of the door.

p>The moment we crossed the threshold.

p>I felt as if I had passed through an invisible veil.

p>The cool air brushed against my skin, and the dungeon sounds from behind gradually faded.

p>"...This place feels strange."

p>"I agree."

p>A tension filled Han Seah's voice.

p>She scanned the surroundings slowly while holding her gun.

p>The internal space was surprisingly wide.

p>The ceiling was high.

p>The walls were made of ancient stone with a different feel from before.

p>And on the floor lay a small amount of an unknown transparent liquid.

p>"...Is this water?"

p>I looked down cautiously at the liquid.

p>But Han Seah immediately shook her head.

p>"I don't know."

p>She bent over to examine it, then frowned.

p>"...No smell and an odd viscosity."

p>Her answer only made me feel more uneasy.

p>A veteran like her saying she didn't know meant it wasn't ordinary matter.

p>Step.

p>She carefully took a step forward.

p>And. p>"...Hmm?"

p>A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠puzzled voice escaped her lips.

p>"Why?"

p>She looked back at the floor.

p>There was a section where the liquid had seeped.

p>Above it, faint but clear traces remained.

p>Footprints.

p>Human ones.

p>"...Someone walked through here."

p>The air suddenly grew heavy.

p>"Another exploration team?"

p>Han Seah didn't answer right away.

p>Instead, she aimed her gun forward and followed the traces.

p>"...No... that's impossible."

p>"Why?"

p>"This place was just discovered."

p>In that instant, I realized.

p>If this truly was an unknown location, these footprints...

p>belonged to someone who entered before us.

p>Step. Step. p>We naturally began following the footprints.

p>The corridor was longer than expected.

p>Ten minutes.

p>Twenty minutes.

p>Even after that, there was still no end in sight.

p>And. p>As she walked along the corridor, Han Seah suddenly stopped.

p>"...Jihoo."

p>"...What is it?"

p>She pointed ahead.

p>The moment I followed her finger, I lost my words.

p>At the end of the corridor.

p>A vast space had revealed itself.

p>But that wasn't the problem.

p>At the entrance to the space stood an unknown, grotesque figure, as if guarding it.

p>

p>Its face constantly flickered like shattered glass, forcibly crushing the texture of reality.

p>It was impossible to discern even its features or expression.

p>Dressed in a luxurious black suit, it overwhelmed any attempt at judgment.

p>"What is that...?"

p>A short gasp escaped Han Seah's lips.

p>It wasn't fear, but rather the shock of someone witnessing something beyond human understanding.

p>"I wondered how a single bitch could get this far alone... but it has a master now."

p>He slipped a hand into his pocket as if searching for something.

p>"First time walking a bitch?"

p>"When walking bitches, it's proper manners to use a leash."

p>"I have an extra one. Use it."

p>From his pocket, he pulled out a dog collar.

p>It was designed like a woman's neck worn on the ground beside a man.

p>"......Ah."

p>Upon seeing the collar, Han Seah slowly approached like a piece of metal drawn to a magnet.

p>"Fortunately, you're clever."

p>"From now on, even if the bitch gets uncomfortable, keep the leash on."

p>He slowly brought the extra collar to her neck.

p>The instant the cold metal touched her skin, Han Seah's eyes flickered faintly.

p>"Otherwise someone might think you're a stray bitch and take you away."

p>A dry, chilling click echoed. p>He approached casually and handed me the leash.

p>"This is her leash."

p>"Ah... yes."

p>I accepted it mechanically, but my mind couldn't keep up.

p>The collar around her neck wasn't just any item.

p>[Name: Breeder's Collar]

p>[Grade: EX]

p>[Description: A collar shaped after the unspoken rules among higher beings. Whoever wears it is defined as someone's breeding subject, and even higher beings cannot deny it.]

p>No brainwashing effect was apparent on the item itself.

p>But I still didn't understand the situation.

p>A moment ago, she had aimed her gun in warning.

p>Now she stood there silently without resistance. p>Like someone lost in deep sleep.

p>"Don't worry."

p>"I only temporarily lowered her resistance to acceptance of the collar."

p>His tone and actions were gentlemanly, but I couldn't accept it at face value.

p>The grotesque face of the otherworldly man, or the way he easily put the leash on Han Seah, were reasons.

p>But the biggest reason was separate.

p>[Translation Cheat: The dialogue content with the target has been translated and transmitted.]

p>His language was not human.

p>"Most bitches immediately reject unfamiliar leashes and bare their teeth."

p>As he approached his bitch and extended his hand, the woman on the floor naturally rubbed her cheek against his knuckles like a long-trained animal.

p>"It took quite some time for her to become like this."

p>"The first time we met, she thought she was an executioner, not a bitch, and left a small wound on my left shoulder."

p>His touch felt affectionate, but strangely, the scene was more grotesque than warm, sending chills down my spine.

p>"It was the first time I was bitten by a bitch..."

p>"So it felt even more special."

p>He gave her a faint smile.

p>Of course, the face still flickered like static, so it was just a fleeting thought.

p>I still couldn't understand... No status window opened.

p>The otherworldly man and his bitch.

p>I tried using the status window on both sides, but there was no reaction.

p>Whether this was because they weren't conquest characters or because they could hide information, the situation was unclear.

p>But. p>What mattered most was that I didn't need to understand or fight.

p>For me, the priority was the reward from reaching 100% mental erosion with Han Seah.

p>The [Knot of Causality], which allowed me to remove one penalty skill.

p>In that sense, this situation wasn't bad.

p>No, it was rather good.

p>

p>I didn't know if it was the effect of the leash or the man's ability, but Han Seah's mental erosion rate had risen to 5.

p>Normally, we would have built rapport through joint missions.

p>But finding an opportunity to raise mental erosion so easily was something I couldn't pass up.

p>"Then... can you tell me how to tame a bitch?"

p>If this was the shortcut to removing the penalty, shaking hands with the monster in front of me was nothing.