Chapter 185
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: Bershy Village
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Swipe. Swipe. Swipe.
We followed the primitive folk into the cave.
The massive tunnel could easily fit twenty people side by side, sloping diagonally downward from the surface to lead us deep underground.
The blue line extended precisely in the direction the primitives were heading.
"This tunnel's ridiculously huge."
"And pretty deep, too."
"Best part is, it's not hot anymore."
True to its location in the rocky mountain, the sweltering heat that had been baking our bodies was already cooling off rapidly.
Relief washed over the faces of those who'd been grimacing against the harsh environment.
"Halt. Who goes there?"
"It's me, Morak."
"Ah, so these are the outsiders the priest mentioned?"
The tunnel continued downward until it suddenly widened, revealing a hidden underground village.
A vast cavern.
The ceiling soared about 150 meters high, and the village spanned roughly 1,400 pyeong—nearly half a square kilometer.
Countless buildings filled the expanse, forming a civilization that resembled a city.
'Finally made it.'
Primitive settlement of Bershy. The sole human foothold in the Primordial Forest. The last refuge.
"Something like that."
"Then, if you'll excuse us for a moment."
Additional guards stepped forward to block our path, giving our faces a quick once-over before stepping aside. They seemed to be memorizing our appearances based on our looks and outfits.
"Cleared!"
"Come on, this way. Keep up."
The man who appeared to be the squad leader shouted the all-clear, and Morak, our guide, gestured hurriedly for us to follow.
We trailed him into the village.
"These people have such a weird look about them."
"Kinda beastly."
The locals were short—adult males averaged around 160 cm—with flat, stubby noses and hair that trailed down to their waists rather than stopping at the neck.
Like manes.
With their bulky muscles, they did have a beast-like vibe.
'They do kinda resemble wolf beastkin.'
Though their features were entirely different, of course.
To sum it up, wolf beastkin had a tougher, sharper edge rather than this stocky build, with long fur sprouting up their arms and torsos.
And they were generally stylish and strikingly attractive.
These folks felt more compact. A bit of that dwarven gruffness mixed in.
'[Primordial Forest] holds the archetypes of all creatures. Makes sense it'd blend traits from various beastkin races.'
As we passed, eyes from villagers milling about turned our way.
"What's the population here?"
"You mean our village? 422 souls."
Got it. The entrance was pretty big, after all...
Even so, with this many people, they could hold off a beast raid and hunt it down if needed.
Their stats seemed solid enough, too.
The Jeju Alliance and Cheongsung folks total around 210 stats combined, but this villager right here clocks in at 262.
Practically on par with the North Korean kids. And this guy's just a guard, so the village's overall combat power must be impressive.
'They don't have unique abilities like us, though. That's why we're the ones tapped for dragon hunting.'
"Whoa, fuck. The women here are smoking hot."
"Tell me about it."
The guys were pitching tents and smacking their lips. No wonder—the women were walking around with their breasts fully out.
And they weren't small, either. Every single one was stacked like the Saintess, a feast for the eyes.
Bouncing as they walked.
Shaking while they worked.
Dangling like grape clusters when they bent over.
Those massive tits hanging off their torsos brought smiles to every guy's face.
"Men, honestly."
Shin Seo-yeon was seriously pissed because there wasn't a single woman around with smaller breasts than hers.
Lee Eun-jeong fiddled with her own flat chest, comparing, and muttered.
"...Where'd my tit genes go?"
Tell me about it.
That's when I felt a sharp stare. I glanced over to see Lee Eun-jeong eyeing my crotch.
I looked down in a panic—thankfully, my dick was behaving.
"You not getting hard? All the other guys are."
Pure curiosity in her eyes.
"Ah, I keep work and play separate."
You can't fight properly with a boner. So during the Selection Process, like it or not, guys learn to control when to pop one and when not to.
Fail at that, and your head's gone in a split second.
"Ooh, all the other guys are hard, but not our Dickhead. Be honest. You're just holding it back 'cause it's her, right?"
"Nah."
"Don't lie. A girl-crazy perv like you holding back? Bullshit."
"Nope, not at all."
Shin Seo-yeon didn't buy it and reached out to grab my dick outright.
"Damn, our Dickhead's still packing. Over four inches soft."
"!!"
Lee Eun-jeong jumped but couldn't hide her curiosity.
"South Korean girls always this bold?"
"What? This is normal."
"Normal?"
The Crimson Flame Witch was churning out another victim after the Saintess. She kneaded my cock like dough and said.
"But seriously weird. You're not getting hard?"
"Told you, work and play are separate."
"Hmmm."
"And I'm not some animal popping a boner at any girl. Only when I'm in the mood with someone I wanna do it with."
Shin Seo-yeon's eyes went wide as she stared at me. She let go of my junk and hooked her arm through mine instead.
[Shin Seo-yeon's favorability toward you has increased.]
"......"
Felt like she was misunderstanding something on her own, but whatever. I casually slipped my arm around Lee Eun-jeong's. She flinched like she might bolt but then stayed put, like something clicked.
And so we reached the village center.
"Holy shit, that's huge."
"Hah, what the hell is all this?"
A massive goddess statue dominated the center.
"Their god?"
"Of course the natives worship a goddess with tits for days. Made her fucking enormous. So slutty."
"Look at that killer body. The guy who sculpted this was jerking it to his goddess fantasy nonstop."
"Heh heh heh. I'd do the same."
"......"
For the record, this statue was of Versia.
Her actual appearance differed from what we'd seen, but... anyway, she'd probably heard the players' comments just now.
Might be dicey getting the guys safely to the next rest area after bagging that mountain dragon.
Swipe.
Our primitive guide bowed before the statue and moved on. Seemed like a routine ritual for coming and going from outside.
Everyone breezed past, but I paused to bow as well.
Purely for show, of course.
My party mimicked me cluelessly, and the villagers shook their heads at the sight.
"Always those types. Tourists copying locals at sights."
"You think we're here on vacation? Tsk tsk."
Tell me about it.
[■■■'s favorability toward you has greatly increased.]
"Anyway, these houses are neatly built from wood..."
Han So-hee looked around with evident interest.
"Not just the buildings—the roads are well-maintained too. The whole village is spotless."
"Yeah, and they must bathe a lot. No one stinks."
The people were impeccably clean.
Cleaner than us outsiders, even.
To the point where the Jeju Alliance crew, back from the dead and caked in mud, got their filthy footprints scrubbed away immediately.
'Cleanliness has its reasons here.'
This was a temple. A shrine to the ancient god Versia. That's why they kept bodies and village pristine.
"There's gotta be an underground stream somewhere."
The Saintess pointed to one side. Women fresh from bathing, still damp, were visible. No clothes meant everything was on display, holding up the guys for a good long stare.
While taking in the village sights, we arrived at the chief's residence.
"Chief, Priest, I've brought the outsiders."
The door burst open.
A mild-mannered chief in his early forties and a priest whose age was hidden by a mask stepped out to greet us.
A young woman followed them, feisty-looking like Shin Seo-yeon—clearly the chief's daughter from the family resemblance.
...The ears gave it away.
"Are you the heroes who answered the Goddess's call?"
Being called heroes made some players cringe, but we'd have to get used to it. In this world, anyone who helped out got dubbed a hero.
"We are."
Kim Jin-woo stepped forward confidently, speaking for the group.
"Why didn't you take the lead?"
Hao Zifeng grumbled at me with clear displeasure, but I just shrugged.
"Too late now. Stepping up awkwardly would've just exposed our lack of unity. Better hold back."
"Tch, that Kim Jin-woo really rubs me the wrong way. Acting on his own without a word."
Hao Zifeng, realizing the milk was spilled, furrowed his brow and stood still.
'Alright, let's see how well he negotiates.'