Chapter 189
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Riding
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"Good morning. Sleep well?"
"Good morning."
"No trouble last night?"
The North Koreans nodded as they stepped out of the lodging.
True to the hefty price tag, the accommodations were top-notch. The beds were comfortable, too.
The North Koreans looked well-rested, all except one.
"Yawn."
Ri Eun-jeong let out a massive yawn, as if she hadn't fully woken up. It was a disheveled side of her I'd never seen before.
Fwosh.
Suddenly, someone dashed out from both sides of me. Shin Seo-yeon and Yi Sera plastered themselves to Ri Eun-jeong's sides.
"Eun-jeong! Morning!"
"Sleep okay?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure."
They dragged her off to the side, whispering in her ear. Focusing hard, I could just barely make out their chatter.
"So, how was it?"
"H-how was what?"
"Yesterday. Good?"
"Yeah, how was oppa's dick?"
"......"
The sleepy look vanished from Ri Eun-jeong's face. In its place, her cheeks flushed pink, and her wide eyes shot toward me.
Our gazes met for a split second. Ri Eun-jeong jolted in surprise and whipped her head back around.
Shin Seo-yeon and Yi Sera linked arms with her, prodding playfully.
"Come on, spill. What happened?"
"We're dying to know. Tell us everything."
Ri Eun-jeong hunched her shoulders, her big eyes darting around. Finally, the Saintess stepped in.
"Seo-yeon, Sera. Quit bullying Eun-jeong."
"Not bullying."
"Yeah, just playing."
"Oh, really?"
As if.
Sigh. In the end, Han So-hee wrapped it up.
"Enough, both of you."
"Tch."
"...We didn't even get started, and she's shutting us down."
Even if you grilled them, those two still couldn't stand up to Han So-hee.
"So, what's next?"
"You know. Time to ride these guys today."
I sent Yi Sera to buy raw meat from the miscellaneous goods merchant we'd left at the lodging. Tossing a hefty chunk of beef into its mouth, the dracos snapped it up and widened its eyes.
Looks like it suited its taste.
Its eyes sparkled as it stared at me, so I tossed another. It gobbled it down and started rubbing its face against me.
"Whoa! Min-jun, you look like an animal expert!"
Feeding mounts is standard stuff.
Dracos might be feisty and hard to handle, but there were plenty more vicious and ill-tempered beasts out there.
Gryphons, wyverns...
Dragons were actually easier in comparison. Smarter brains meant better self-control. Sure, it came with the hassle of tending to their delicate psyches like humans, but still.
"Here, one more."
The dracos scarfed down eight pieces total before looking satisfied.
"See? Feed 'em first."
The group rushed over like they'd been waiting. They bought raw meat and fed their own dracos.
"Wow, so cute. Eats like a champ."
"Pretty smart, huh."
Hot-tempered, sure, but dracos and skarvabs were clever as hell. Sharp enough to recognize faces.
"Alright, bellies full. Time to mount up."
I helped them on one by one, starting with Yi Sera. The saddles made it easy, and above all, we had [Song of the Wind Saddle].
[Song of the Wind Saddle]: The moment you mount something, you can handle intermediate-level riding skills without training. +50% to all riding-related abilities. Riding skill acquisition +200%. Consume mana for instant sprints.
So once they hopped on, the group had no trouble gripping the reins and moving around.
'Honestly, dracos are mid-tier difficulty. Most people can't even balance and fall right off.'
If your breathing's off, they get pissy and buck you. But everyone was riding smooth.
That's the power of gear.
"I can ride alone."
When I offered Han So-hee a hand, she hopped on effortlessly.
"Not bad."
"I've ridden horses plenty."
Oh right, our So-hee came from nobility. Her skill was leagues above the rest.
"Next, Eun-jeong."
"I-I can do it myself."
I offered Ri Eun-jeong my hand last, but she flushed red at the ears and insisted on going solo.
So I grabbed one cheek of her ass and hoisted her up.
"Eep."
"Remember that. Don't brute-force it. Makes the dracos unhappy."
"O-okay."
"Doubt you got it. Down."
"D-do I have to? I'm already up."
"Now."
[Song of the Wind Saddle] doesn't trigger until you're properly mounted. So mounting technique needs practice.
I drilled the others on repeats while giving Ri Eun-jeong close instruction.
"Again."
"Um, hey. The butt..."
"?"
"N-never mind."
I gripped her ass and crotch over and over, sliding her up.
Whatever I did to her last night must've worked—after a few touches, her pants were soaked at the crotch.
'Wanna tease her more, but if she thinks of me and slips while riding, that's bad.'
I stepped back.
"Your turn alone."
"Mhm."
She hopped up lightly onto the dracos.
...Nailed it. S-Rank material for sure. Controlled her high strength perfectly.
Usually over 100 strength means sloppy control and flailing, but at 181, she handled it like a pro.
'Come to think of it, she gripped my dick pretty delicately last night too.'
I turned to the others. Han So-hee and Shin Seo-yeon, both over 100 strength, managed fine too.
"Heh, easy."
Shin Seo-yeon surprised me most. Her strength fluctuated with [Bonding], yet she wielded it like it was always hers.
That was innate genius. Gave me chills. Among all players I'd seen, she was the most optimized for the selection process.
'Mentality, personality, abilities, talent—put it all together, and no one tops the Crimson Flame Witch.'
Downsides? Zero patience, trash with money, greedy investments that always tanked.
World's fair that way.
"Alright, follow me."
"Heading out now?"
"Nah, 30 minutes left. Let's run wild first."
"Ooh!"
I gripped the reins and trotted slowly down a quiet path in Versh Village. "Slowly" for a horse, but dracos were fast even at a walk.
Clop clop.
On this 1,400-pyeong plot, they couldn't even hit top speed.
"Whoa!"
"S-so fast!"
"Fucking awesome!"
From one end of the village to the other in under 10 seconds. Case closed.
"Whoa, shit. What the hell."
"They already got dracos and riding around?"
"How?"
As we practiced sprinting through town, other players gawked and chattered.
"Damn, jealous. Looks sick."
"Right?"
"This discrimination? They get 'em first, we got nothing?"
They'd slept on the streets last night. The neglect fueled their gripes.
"Village chief hands 'em out?"
"Nah, they didn't even clean like us yesterday."
Envy and jealousy hit peak. They mobbed the chief to complain.
"This fair? We did everything you asked, and slackers get mounts first?!"
Even Kim Jin-woo, who got duped by girls on day one, yelled hard this time. Pointless, though.
"Ahem. Got nothing to say on that."
"That's it? Talk to those girls at least!"
"......"
Kubara had nothing either.
She glared like we ruined her plans.
I smirked back.
'Not happy? What're you gonna do?'
Just a spoiled brat riding her dad's position.
'Round one, no one screwed Kubara over.'
Even those who taught me about buying dracos didn't start there.
They suffered her whims: toilet cleaning, street sweeping, material gathering...
Helped the village, then rented.
-How'd they find out? Their rented dracos got monster'd. Tracked the owner.
Paying for the dead one revealed the rich guy we met yesterday.
-Chief's just a figurehead. Private property's a thing. Buy direct, skip him. Rage-inducing when I learned.
This path? Uncharted in round one.
"Argh!"
Kubara fumed, stomping and snorting, but neither she nor the chief acted.
Rich guy's power outranked them. Old man's the real boss.
"Time's up. Let's roll, kids?"
"Yeah!"
"Sweet!"
Oh, first—I tracked down Kim Jong-su.
Ri Eun-jeong's with his party now. Courtesy to ask her leader.
He approved her tagging along, no hesitation.
"You sure? Boosts our party's firepower."
"No issue. In this peaceful village. Better she enjoys with the girls than awkward with us guys."
He chatted with my group, watched Ri Eun-jeong gasp smearing [Elixir of Immortality] on her skin, then said,
"If Min-jun's fine, I'd love her to stick around longer."
Fine by me. Strong fighter, easy bonding, tons of affection ops.
"And..."
"?"
He leaned in, whispering,
"Personally, I hope you and Eun-jeong work out."
Stepped back with a grin.
"What if you never get her back?"
"Haha, that'd be fine too. Good man? Marry quick."
I chuckled and remounted.
"See you later."
"Stay safe. Take care of Eun-jeong."
Nod.
Official green light for romance. Time to ride free.
"Alright, everyone. Let's go."
Practice over, we headed out of town.
Clop clop.
"Whoa, insane! Fucking sick!"
"Eek, too fast for me. Scary."
Out of town, the dracos showed their true colors. Speed dwarfed the caves, dodging terrain like pros while charging ahead.
Kyaaah!
"Ah, there it is again!"
Most shocking? Monsters spotted us, chased... but couldn't keep up.
They roared briefly then vanished from sight. Under 5 seconds.
'Predators? No issue now.'
Confirmed safe, I tugged the reins gently to halt. My group followed suit.
"Oppa, no more running?"
"Warmed up enough. Time for objectives."
"Straight to the mountain dragon, then?"
I shook my head at Han So-hee's question.
"Nope."
"Hm?"
"No rush."
"Won't it get dangerous if we leave it?"
She's right. It'll balloon huge if ignored. Group looked puzzled, so I explained simply.
"Normally, dracos take 7 days. We cheesed it early, so we got 7 days to mess around."
"Ah?"
Average 7 days helping villagers, learning Ancient Forest survival indirectly.
Plenty of time post-that for hunting. No need to rush.
"Min-jun, why cheese early then?"
"Oh, that. To nourish ourselves."
"Huh? Nourish?"
All eyes on me. I grinned and spurred the dracos onward.