28. Delinquent
［Achievement］Virgin Hunter (6/10)
Reward: Inexperienced partners become more susceptible to your seduction.
［Achievement］Sower (6/10)
Reward: When a partner receives your ejaculation inside them, they become more susceptible to feeling pleasure from you during sex.
Two achievements for sowing seed inside someone I was with for the first time.
The latter felt a little ambiguous. Even if they became more susceptible to pleasure from the moment they slept with me,
'Ah, there was a case like Yu-na.'
Would it make handling Yu-na, who overflowed with sexual desire, easier?
Next was the newly acquired achievement.
［Achievement］Lord of the Bed
Reward: During sex, your partner becomes more inclined to follow your instructions.
It seemed like an Achievement I could only obtain because the partner was Choi Da-in, so I decided to check the condition.
Condition: Satisfy a submissive through sex.
So the word indicating Choi Da-in's sexual preference was submissive.*
This one was also a bit of a white elephant. Once sex had begun, wasn't it no different from already having them in the palm of my hand?
The Achievements ended there. Next, I checked Choi Da-in's status window.
［Name］: Choi Da-in
［Race］: Human
［Level］: 3 (900 EXP)
［Class］: Paladin
□STR : 10
□DEX : 14
□CON : 14
□INT : 10
■WIS : 10
■CHA : 17
【Perks】
［Gift］Magic Swordsman
Requirement: Spellcasting ability
▶Magic as One with the Sword
When you attack using a weapon, you may use your spellcasting ability score instead of Strength or Dexterity for the attack.
Additionally, you may use a weapon as a spellcasting focus.
She was classified as a priest-type class, but she was a Paladin who effectively served as a physical attacker.
Her melee stats were mediocre, closer to a spellcaster's, but she used heavy armor and a shield to make up for the difference.
Because by raising just the single stat of Charisma, she could gain both melee combat power and spell enhancement.
This was also a good perk for me, who used weapons as well.
The drawback that True Strike did not apply to the additional action gained from Action Surge, forcing me to attack with a Dexterity modifier instead of Charisma, was perfectly offset.
On top of that, being able to use a weapon as a spellcasting focus meant that whenever I cast a spell requiring a focus, I no longer needed to pull out a staff each time.
I gave thanks for a Gift that felt as though it might have been made for me, then examined the next ability I had received.
［Feature］Paladin's Smite
You always have the Divine Smite spell** prepared, and you may cast it without expending a spell use.
Once you cast it in this way, you must finish a long rest before you can cast it in this way again.
Divine Smite was a spell that used the Secondary Mana Circuit to add extra damage to a weapon attack.
Damage was 2–16. Notable points were that each time it was cast at a higher circle, it gained another 1–8 damage, and that critical hits increased the damage further.
In other words, cast as a 2nd-circle spell, it dealt 3–24 extra damage, or 6–48 on a critical hit.
'It might be ambiguous in ordinary hunting, but it'll be useful against strong enemies.'
The spells I currently used as my mainstays were Darkness, Blur, Mage Armor, and Shield.
Since they were all buff-type spells and emergency defense-type spells, I was a little lacking in single-strike power.
Satisfied that I had obtained a means to fill that gap, I whispered to Choi Da-in.
"I have a gift, so check it later."
Unfortunately, not only were my stats generally higher, but since the stat enhancement provided by Incubus Bond only applied the single highest value of each type, my stats did not increase.
Instead, I had raised Choi Da-in's most important stat, Charisma, by 2, so it would be a great help to Choi Da-in.
Not only that, but the ability I had given her, Incubus Gaze, could see through magical darkness.
Among the various abilities a Warlock could choose, an ability called Devil's Sight could see even magical darkness up to 18 meters.
Therefore, I'd already recommended that Son Yu-ju learn the 2nd-circle spell Darkness and take Devil's Sight upon reaching level 3.
If she had followed my advice, all three of them would be able to see freely in the dark and toy with monsters.
At the very least, there would be no futile sacrifices, so I could set aside my worries about this party.
I walked alone through the darkened streets without a lantern and returned to the inn where I was staying with Tia.
When I opened the locked door with the key I had received, Tia, already asleep, was curled up on the bed.
I changed clothes, lay down beside Tia, and held her so her scent could seep into me.
***
Kwon Chae-a's party had been fine.
So much so that I wondered why such a party hadn't been actively hunting sooner.
In contrast, the Song Ji-yu party I was in charge of today was the worst.
Day 14 since falling into the labyrinth city. Screams were ringing out.
"Kyaaak! I can't, no, I can't!"
Song Ji-yu screamed the moment she encountered a zombie that lunged out from a nearby alley.
If it were just that, it would be fine. One person falling into confusion was possible.
But the problem was that the other three were all staring at Song Ji-yu and doing nothing as well.
"Wh-what do we do?"
Jo Su-min in the back row, I could understand,
"Ji-yu, are you okay?"
"......Retreat?"
But the two in the front row shouldn't be doing that too.
"What do you mean retreat already? Everyone, hurry up and take your positions like I told you earlier!"
Even when I said that, all three of them were too distracted worrying about Song Ji-yu.
This wouldn't end. Let me deal with Song Ji-yu first.
"Song Ji-yu! If you can't do it, at least shut your mouth!"
"Why are you talking to me like that?"
Song Ji-yu shouted while turning her back, as if she didn't want to see something horrible. Now I understood clearly. That wasn't confusion. Was she trying to establish dominance?
"Because of you, the other students can't do their jobs!"
I said that while blocking the zombie's touch with Mage Armor.
"So this is my fault?"
She wouldn't listen. At times like this, it was better to talk to the other students instead.
"Ignore Song Ji-yu. Kwon Eun-seo, Nam So-i, stick behind me!"
"Did you just tell them to ignore me?! Fine, ignore what he said!"
Song Ji-yu, who had turned toward me and was shouting, no longer even had a trace of a frightened look.
Kwon Eun-seo and Nam So-i didn't know what to do at those words.
Jo Su-min was diligently trying to soothe Song Ji-yu.
I had thought there would be problems, but it was more serious than expected.
Still, when the zombie lunged, they at least responded.
Except for the one person, Song Ji-yu, who was angry at me.
"You never said something this hideous would come out!"
Of course, it was true that I had deliberately brought them without saying anything because I wanted to see them suffer. But if they had done even a little research, they would have known, wouldn't they?
"Look, he's handling it fine on his own. Just half-ass it, half-ass it."
In the end, they couldn't form a proper formation, so I had to sweep away most of the monsters, and as a result,
"Wow, we got 50 experience points."
"Really?"
"......It's true."
They were happy even though they'd only earned half the experience per person that the Kwon Chae-a party had.
"What! What's with that look."
Only Song Ji-yu was ignoring the experience and paying attention to me.
"I was just wondering if you got the experience."
"We got it fine, okay? It's none of your business, okay?"
I had thought Song Ji-yu wouldn't receive experience, but it seemed that when the monsters were nearly eliminated, the healing she had cast on Kwon Eun-seo and Nam So-i had been recognized, so she had received experience.
I let out a sigh and said,
"Then let's rest for an hour."
"What? We're not going back?"
Song Ji-yu was startled. Was it that surprising?
"Go back? Why?"
"We already earned today's quota."
No way. Did these guys think 50 experience per day was enough?
Was the reason they'd been so happy about 50 experience earlier because today's work was all done?
"You didn't listen to my explanation properly, did you? If you just repeat this kind of life, you'll be the same even after reaching level 3, you know?"
"We can just learn that when we reach level 3. Why do we have to suffer from now?"
Hadn't the teacher already persuaded them?
Was the difference from what I'd expected so big that I wanted to give up?
"You're planning to cling to the Lee Se-rin party and live off them for a while even after reaching level 3?"
"Seo Do-hyeon, haven't you been talking way too harshly since earlier?"
Song Ji-yu was nitpicking my words, probably because she felt stung.
The other students were only watching Song Ji-yu's reaction.
"Fine, if you don't want to, let's stop here. But you should know this."
If this continued, it would just become a war of words. Let me be clear here.
"Including today, I'll only have two chances to help you. My help will benefit you, but I'm not doing this for your sake."
There were two reasons I was doing this. The first was that I wanted to see these guys suffer a bit,
"Lee Se-rin's party and Kwon Chae-a went through all that for you. I don't want to watch you fail to pull your own weight."
So, I added that if they had no intention of doing this, I had no intention of dragging them along by force whether they took a loss or not.
When I said that much, Song Ji-yu averted her gaze and muttered.
"While you're screwing around with the teacher."
Of course she'd noticed. But I stepped forward confidently.
"The teacher was doing that for your sake, you know?"
"What are you talking about? I wasn't saying it for you to hear?"
I gave Song Ji-yu, who was still carrying on the petty argument, my final answer.
"So, are you going back? Or continuing? Even if continuing is for your sake, if you refuse, I have no intention of forcing you."
"I'll do it. I said I'll do it, okay."
At those words, Kwon Eun-seo, Nam So-i, and Jo Su-min let out sighs of relief.
Why are you guys relieved instead of me?
***
From then on, they performed their roles reasonably well.
Kwon Eun-seo was a Monk, and Nam So-i was a Barbarian class, so both were warrior-type classes belonging to the front line.
The two of them supported the lower part of the L-shaped formation I had used yesterday.
"Nam So-i, you're too close!"
"So-i, it's dangerous, come back."
"Okay, "
However, even when I gave instructions, they wouldn't follow immediately; they only moved when Song Ji-yu added something, which kept slowing the tempo.
Even when I shouted, they only flinched; they listened to Song Ji-yu's instructions.
"Entangle!"
Jo Su-min was a Druid, a type of priest class. She had area debuffs, so she was also performing part of the spellcaster's role.
"Faerie Fire!"
Meanwhile, as a Bard, Song Ji-yu was the centerpiece of this party.
Bards were classified as a skill-type class, but they could cast almost all arcane spells, so they could substitute for a spellcaster.
Not only that, Song Ji-yu's perk was,
［Gift］Silver Song
Requirement: Bardic Inspiration
▶Soul Healing
When you grant Bardic Inspiration to a target, you restore the target's HP by an amount equal to your level + Charisma modifier.
Because she could restore HP, she also performed part of the priest class's role.
Except for the warrior role, which two people in the party already filled, she could perform every role by herself.
"Song Ji-yu, you included me in the spell's area too, right?"
"But if I don't, one enemy won't be in the area, you know?"
Song Ji-yu kept making things difficult, while the other party members deferred to her.
Even while leading such a party, the battle itself ended without incident.
"Th-this time, the experience is a hundred?!"
"Okay, then another hour of rest."
I gave feedback to the group.
"You guys, your actions after making a judgment are too slow. Are you not going to move unless Song Ji-yu says something?"
"W-well, but what Ji-yu says is right."
Jo Su-min said, earnestly defending Song Ji-yu.
Song Ji-yu's influence loomed too large.
Well, I decided to accept that as this party's particular style. It wasn't my party anyway.
"The time will come someday when you have to make judgments yourselves."
On the other hand, Song Ji-yu was looking at me with an expression that suggested something was vexing her.
Was it because her attempts to mess with me weren't working?
After finishing a total of three battles like that, the Song Ji-yu party leveled up just like the Kwon Chae-a party had yesterday.
The experience earned today was 50 less than the Kwon Chae-a party's experience yesterday, but that was because they had 50 experience from hunting separately yesterday.
"We're level 3 now too."
At Song Ji-yu's words, muttered while pondering something,
"Th-that's great!"
Jo Su-min chimed in instantly.
"Right. Now we've also learned how to fight, right?"
Kwon Eun-seo, who was speaking but then glanced at Song Ji-yu.
"... I guess so, "
Nam So-i, who responded a beat late.
Well, these guys would manage on their own now. I planned to do a final check in two days and then wash my hands of them.
As I thought that, Song Ji-yu's odd gaze on me started to bother me.
It seemed like she was plotting something.
***
After returning, I went back to the inn where the students were staying and collected tomorrow's payment from Kwon Chae-a.
When I opened the door and came out, Song Ji-yu was waiting.
What's this? It's not going to be some convenient development where she's fallen for me too.
"Su-min says she has something to tell you."
Song Ji-yu said that and pointed to the room she shared with Jo Su-min.
When I entered, puzzled, Jo Su-min was sitting on the bed, tense.
"What's going on? Jo Su-min?"
When I went in and asked, the door closed. It must have been Song Ji-yu's doing.
"I-it's, um, I want to repay you."
The way she said it looked incredibly awkward.
"Repay me for what?"
"For finding my pouch, and also, for helping today, and also, "
I cut off her rambling.
"So, how are you going to repay me?"
From the moment Song Ji-yu closed the door and left the two of us alone, I had a guess.
"L-like, this?"
Jo Su-min said that and began unbuttoning her clothes.
Her eyes were glistening with moisture.