Solo Exploration (1)
‘Time to get moving…’
It had been two weeks since I was discharged from the hospital. After getting out, I’d wanted to test the bracelet’s capabilities immediately, but I held back for two weeks, fearing that entering a Gate right away might raise suspicions.
I hadn’t just been sitting around, though. I’d spent the time thinking about how to properly test the device.
Naturally, the first condition was that I had to enter the Gate alone. There couldn’t be any witnesses.
The standard procedure would be to apply for a solo exploration through the Association. Since an E-rank Gate probably wouldn’t be enough to gauge its true performance, a D-rank Gate seemed appropriate for a solo run.
The problem was that teamwork and cooperation were the bedrock of being a Hunter. Solo exploration was an extremely exceptional act, reserved for S-rankers or the top-tier elites among A-rankers.
It was doubtful they’d even grant a B-rank Hunter permission for a solo D-rank exploration.
‘I haven’t been consistently active, and I’ve always operated like a freelancer who might retire at any moment... it’d look suspicious if I suddenly requested a solo exploration.’
I wanted to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.
The second method was to purchase a Gate on the black market. While the law required reporting any discovered Gate to the Association immediately, some people chose to explore or sell them without notifying the authorities.
Of course, if an Association-affiliated Hunter were caught doing such a thing, they would face severe disciplinary action or have their license revoked without exception.
‘Besides, I don’t even know how to get in touch with people from that dark underworld.’
That left me with only one option.
Asking a high-ranking official in the Association with whom I had a personal connection.
If it were Hye-na, she had the power to make arrangements for a solo exploration without leaving any official records.
I would definitely be met with a suspicious gaze, but... I could talk my way out of it. And if I were ever going to have my bracelet discovered by another Hunter, I’d rather it be her.
She was the type who kept her mouth shut once she heard a secret and knew how to respect boundaries.
Over the past two weeks, I’d even considered just being honest with her about what happened that day. It might be better to make her an ally who would protect my secret in an emergency.
‘Besides, Hunter Choi Jihyuk seems to know something already...’
He must have witnessed my arm being severed, but the fact that he glossed over it by claiming ignorance showed he was a man of loyalty.
But how should I put this...
I couldn’t tell if he was just dense or if he lacked tact.
‘He could’ve just said he saw me block it with my shield while my limbs were intact and that he lost his memory of the rest, so why did he have to say he didn’t see anything and leave a breadcrumb of suspicion?’
Even in the worst-case scenario, where the true nature of the bracelet was revealed to everyone... there would be no legal issues.
If one’s life is in danger during an exploration, using a unique item found within the Gate is perfectly legal.
How was I supposed to know that gauntlet was an Artifact before I put it on?
‘It’s not like there’s an Artifact encyclopedia.’
With half my face crushed, my left arm necrotic, my right arm severed, and various internal organs damaged, the Association couldn’t impose any sanctions on me for putting on a glove I found right in front of me.
However, if it were officially recognized that I had acquired an Artifact, I might become a massive celebrity, and either way, the peaceful twilight years I’d dreamed of would be gone.
“Well, it’ll work out somehow.”
Either way, I had no other options, and my patience had already hit rock bottom.
I called Hye-na.
Ring... Ring...
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.”
“I know. Why? No, don’t ask why... Do you have any idea how busy I am? You aren’t exactly someone who can just call me whenever it’s convenient for you.”
“You always say that, yet you answer the phone just fine.”
“Sigh... So, do you have another favor to ask?”
Hye-na grumbled, but I could hear the warmth in her voice.
“Yeah...”
“What is it?”
“I was wondering if you could look into a solo D-rank Gate exploration for me? It’d be great if it didn’t leave a record, but if it does, it can’t be helped...”
“...”
Hye-na went silent.
‘Why is she quiet? Is it too difficult a request even for a Bureau Chief...?’
“Hello...?”
“Why do you suddenly want to do a solo exploration? You’re not the type to take risks.”
“If I go with other E or D-rankers, what am I, their field trip chaperone?”
“Not that reason. The real reason.”
“...”
This was the moment to use the pathetic excuse I’d prepared just in case.
I lowered my voice and began my best performance, using a desperate tone.
“Actually... ever since that day, I’ve felt a desire to become strong again. Ever since I opened my eyes in the hospital... it feels like a feeling I’d forgotten has come back to life...”
“...”
‘Did it work?’
“Oh, okay... I’ll do it. But you have to do me a favor in return.”
“Sure. Tell me.”
‘Do I have to follow E or D-rankers as a supervisor again? I can handle that much.’
“I’ll set up the solo exploration for the earliest possible date, so... when you’re done, come to the Central Headquarters and have a sparring match with me.”
“Sparring? Suddenly?”
I knew she was a sparring addict, but I didn’t realize she was this obsessed.
‘Is she still bitter about losing to my surprise attack?’
“Are you going to do it or not?”
“Yeah... I can do that much. Will there be a record of it?”
“I’ll make it unofficial so no record is left.”
Hye-na wouldn’t go all out, either... I could just play along and say I lost when the time came.
I did want to spar with her for real, but... I didn’t want to be found out just yet.
“Everyone, dinner’s ready~.”
Yuna’s affectionate voice drifted in from the kitchen.
“Hey, I’m going to eat. Send me a text when the schedule is set. Thank you so much.”
“Yeah. Hanging up.”
“Phew...”
An unofficial solo D-rank Gate exploration in exchange for a sparring match with Hye-na... It wasn’t a bad deal.
I didn’t ask about the compensation on purpose.
It didn’t really matter if I received it or not, but I kept my mouth shut because saying I didn’t need pay would look too suspicious.
“Sss... So... Ah, Yuna, that feels so good right there. No, I mean... I think I’ll be entering the Gate in three days. Phew...”
In the dead of night, in a silent room bathed in moonlight, I lay with my lower body bare, legs spread, resting on my arm. A woman was kneeling politely between my legs, taking my cock into her mouth.
“Mmph?”
Yuna looked up at me with slightly surprised eyes.
My cock was buried to the hilt in her mouth, and as she tapped and knocked against my weak point with the tip of her tongue, it was melting into a state of pure, viscous pleasure.
‘Every time I receive this, it feels brand new.’
It was a method only Yuna could perform—a way to serve a man by slowly melting his cock with low-intensity stimulation to induce ejaculation.
“Don’t worry... Sss. It’s fine. It’s a D-rank Gate, so the only way I could get hurt or die there is if I self-harmed or committed suicide... Haa...”
Yuna nodded, her eyes crinkling into a smile as if she understood.
“Right. I’m thinking of buying a car with the money I got this time.”
“Hmph?”
Yuna didn’t stop her tongue even while chatting with me. She explored my weak point and the surrounding area, tapping and probing with her tongue.
“Oh. Tap that part underneath. Yeah, right there, haa... I’ve wanted to buy one for a while, and since I got a lump sum, I figured I’d get one. Plus, we’ll be going out to play here and there, and it’s good to have a car, right?”
Yuna nodded as if she understood.
“Hnnng.”
Every time Yuna nodded, the mucous membrane of her mouth grazed my glans, accelerating the ejaculation of my extremely sensitive cock.
As my thighs began to tremble, Yuna stared at me intently.
I knew without her saying a word. That look meant, ‘Are you about to cum?’
“Yeah.”
I answered softly and took a deep breath. From here on out was the highlight of Yuna’s night service.
After over 30 minutes of low-stimulation fellatio, just tapping at my weak point with the tip of her tongue to make me desperate, the moment ejaculation was imminent, she would stiffen her tongue and scrape firmly and vigorously against my weak point.
Two seconds. If she did that, I would explode in ejaculation in just two seconds, as if a spark had been thrown into a powder keg.
The preceding 30 minutes were just the setup for these two seconds.
“Oh, damn...! Mmph!”
Yuna’s tongue scraped mercilessly against my weak point.
Anticipating what would happen in two seconds, I covered my mouth with both hands.
“Hmph!”
Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!
“Mmph! Mmph!”
The pleasure suppressed for 30 minutes condensed into two seconds and hammered my brain.
Tears welled up in my eyes from the pleasure, and my eyes rolled back halfway.
I only prayed that Yuna hadn’t seen my pathetic state.
“Sss... Phew... Oh... Yuna, that felt so good.”
“Mmph.”
Yuna slowly pulled my cock, which she had been holding deep in her mouth, and scraped off the remaining semen with her tongue.
“Haa...”
“Mmm.”
After that, as if it were a daily routine, she opened her mouth wide to let me appreciate how much I had ejaculated, swallowed the semen, and then opened her mouth again, sticking out her tongue to prove with that lewd, enchanting mouth that she had swallowed every drop of my essence.
“Phew.”
I couldn’t help but think that if I spent every night like this, I might be living a successful life...
There was nothing for me to do even after ejaculating.
I just had to feel the muscles in my entire body relax, watch Yuna clean the remaining saliva off my cock with her tongue, and slowly drift off to sleep.
“Honey, sleep well.”
“Yeah... I love you...”
I closed my eyes and fell into a slumber. I could hear the rustling sound of her pulling a tissue from the box.
“Then... I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”
“Mmph... Mmmph... Hmph.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Mmmph.”
“But Yuna, why are you doing this...?”
After breakfast, once Yoon Jihyun had left for her academy, I finished my preparations for the solo Gate exploration. As I was saying goodbye to Yuna at the shoe rack, holding her hands and trying to set a romantic mood, she suddenly knelt down, gave me an innocent smile, and said, “I should say goodbye here, too~,” before unzipping my pants and beginning fellatio.
“Phew... What if you want to receive this there, honey? I can’t go with you, so I have to do it beforehand.”
“Yeah...”
Slurp, suck, slurp.
I was a little flustered, but honestly, it felt so damn good that I had no complaints.
A wife who politely kneels to send her husband off on a business trip with fellatio...
“Phew... And honey, after you finish your work, you’re stopping by the headquarters, and then you decided to sleep over at Nahyun’s place...”
“Yeah...”
It wasn’t something I had decided. The day after the night I brought up the Gate, Yuna and Nahyun had a phone call, and at some point, regardless of my intentions, it was decided that I would stop by the headquarters after work and spend the night with Nahyun.
Nahyun must be very busy with work, as she hadn’t been able to come home much even on weekends.
‘I don’t really have any complaints, but...’
“Hmm.”
I decided to accept the fate of a stud. I always think about it, but isn’t it me who benefits the most anyway?
‘Let’s just enjoy it. So what if I’m a stud?’