Chapter 64 — Seduction
Chapter 64 — Seduction
Translation: GodTL
When Yuria had spoken with Evan before, he had once told her this:
'If reincarnation truly exists, you might have been a Succubus in your past life.'
As Evan had said, she possessed a natural talent for drawing out the desires of males—whether they were fellow Dragons or beings of any other race.
Not only did she have the talent, but she even took pleasure in it. What more was there to say?
With fellow Dragons, of course, but ever since settling on Earth, she had also set her sights on human men, switching them out as often as one might change clothes.
Naturally, to her, it was nothing more than a form of amusement.
She had never once seriously entertained feelings for a human man, nor had she ever considered making a vow of love with one.
Unlike someone.
And so, to her, Min-jun was no different from the countless human men she had encountered before.
Except for the fact that, unlike the others, he had a Dragon for a lover.
With the gaze of a predator eyeing a tantalizing prey, Yuria swept her eyes over Min-jun.
'Not bad.'
At this level, she could almost understand why Sia, a Dragon, adored Min-jun so much.
Of course, that still didn't explain why Sia had gone as far as to make a vow with him.
'How long will it take today?'
Measuring how quickly she could conquer a male.
And then shortening that record bit by bit.
It was one of her wicked and secret hobbies.
"Welcome, Mr. Min-jun. You must have had quite the journey getting here."
With a voice that could enchant any man's heart, Yuria gestured for Min-jun to take a seat.
"Chris, our guest has arrived. Would you prepare something for him?"
"Right away."
Once Min-jun was seated, Chris soon returned with a teacup and an assortment of high-class refreshments.
"Please, make yourself comfortable."
"...Yes."
To ease Min-jun's wariness and tension as much as possible, Yuria smiled faintly and slid the teacup toward him.
Min-jun, still tense about what she might say next, took a sip of the tea she had offered.
"As you may already know from our secretary, I'd like to invite you to join our guild. I imagine you've received many offers from other guilds by now, haven't you?"
"Yes. But I turned them all down. At the time, I had no intention of joining any guild."
"At the time, you say. So that means your circumstances have changed now."
Yuria's eyes gleamed as she leaned slightly toward Min-jun.
A subtle, seductive movement meant to draw his gaze.
"Yes. However—"
"Which guild offered you the highest signing bonus? No matter which it was, we'll double it."
Without even waiting to hear how much other guilds had offered, she immediately proposed doubling it.
It was clear why she was the leader of one of the world's top guilds, but Min-jun shook his head.
"Actually... I've already decided on a guild to join. I'm sorry."
"Oh-ho, is that so? Well, if there's a penalty fee, we'll take care of that too. If you don't mind me asking, which guild is it?"
She pulled her chair closer again, and without Min-jun realizing it, the distance between them had gradually narrowed.
"It's... a guild that hasn't been established yet. There's no signing bonus involved either. I think that's all I can say for now."
No signing bonus, and a newly formed guild at that.
From what Min-jun had said so far, Yuria could guess that he had other plans.
But that was fine.
Her real purpose in meeting Min-jun wasn't to recruit him into Aura Guild anyway.
"I came prepared with attractive terms to recruit Hunter Min-jun, but from what you're saying, it seems no offer I could make would change your mind."
"...Yes."
As if she had already expected this much, Yuria nodded slowly.
Of course, she had no idea who the guild master of this new guild was.
But since he had refused to join any guild until now, she assumed he had his own reasons.
Still, it didn't matter.
Her real objective lay elsewhere.
"Well, I suppose there's nothing to be done. As much as I'd like to press further, that would be rude of me."
Yuria gave up surprisingly easily, and though Min-jun felt relieved, he couldn't help but suspect there might be some hidden motive behind it.
"Well, let's set this matter aside for now and move on to another topic. Hunter to Hunter." She turned to Chris. "Chris, step outside for a moment and get some fresh air."
Wanting time alone with him, she dismissed Chris.
Now, only Min-jun and Yuria remained in the spacious guest room.
"Is this seat uncomfortable for you?"
"Ah... no."
Though he was sitting on a plush sofa, to Min-jun, it might as well have been a bed of nails.
Before this meeting, he had been intrigued by the rare opportunity to meet one of the world's few SSS-rank Hunters.
But now, for some reason, he just felt uneasy.
It had been slightly better when the secretary was present, but now that they were completely alone, the discomfort only grew.
"Don't worry. As I said earlier, I just wanted to talk to you as one Hunter to another. There are things I'm personally curious about—like the secret behind your rapid growth, for instance."
Casually, she placed her hand over his.
The moment her soft skin touched his, Min-jun barely managed to suppress his reaction, but his heart lurched in shock.
'If Sia were here right now...'
If she were, she probably would've grabbed Yuria by the collar and demanded to know why she was flirting with another woman's man, regardless of whether she was an SSS-rank Hunter or not.
...Just the thought sent a chill down his spine.
Still.
Min-jun reminded himself that, compared to Korea, the U.S. was far more open—this kind of gesture might not mean much here. Steadying himself, he smoothly withdrew his hand.
"It was... just a miracle."
"A miracle?"
She feigned ignorance, but Yuria already knew the reason behind Min-jun's astonishing growth.
It was just that, even accounting for that, his progress had been faster than expected, so she was mildly curious.
The chances were slim, but if he were to whisper something like "This is a secret, but..." and reveal the truth about the Dragon's power, she would have a legitimate reason to kill him.
From Yuria's perspective, either outcome worked in her favor.
And if, while drawing out the conversation, she could subtly seduce him—well, that would just be the cherry on top.
Most men would flush just from a little eye contact, some well-timed responses, and casual touches here and there.
Meanwhile, Min-jun was struggling with how to spin his story.
Of course, he had no intention of revealing the truth about the Dragon's power or Dragon Words to anyone—not even his family.
But then, what was he supposed to tell her?
"...I can't go into detail, but let's just say it was one miracle after another."
Since he wasn't obligated to explain anyway, Min-jun decided to keep it vague.
But Yuria dangled one more bait.
"I was willing to pay handsomely for that secret. It could really help train the rookies in our guild."
She wasn't asking him to join the guild—just to explain what exactly that miracle was.
But if he so much as mentioned the Dragon, she was ready to kill him on the spot.
Exposing the fact that Dragons already lived among humans was a justifiable reason for execution—one that any of her kind would accept.
Yet once again, Min-jun didn't take the bait.
"I'm sorry. It's... complicated."
"Hmm, what a shame."
But regardless of her plans—
As they spoke, Min-jun began to wonder if her real goal wasn't just recruitment but uncovering the secret behind his rapid growth.
If that were true, everything made sense.
And strangely enough, that realization eased his mind a little.
Like he had just crossed one hurdle.
But the real challenge was only beginning.
"Since you don't have any plans after today, and we've already met like this—if there's anything you've been curious about, feel free to ask."
Playing the part of a kind-hearted guild leader, she began her full-scale seduction in earnest.
As they exchanged personal stories to bridge the emotional distance between them, Yuria planned to subtly send various signals to unsettle Min-jun.
Moreover, unbeknownst to Min-jun, a special Curse had secretly been cast upon this place.
A magic that stoked the desires of males with its seductive effects, paired with a Curse that dulled the target's awareness.
If the Curse had been too immediate or potent, other Dragons might have caught wind of it—so she had carefully calibrated its intensity to remain undetectable.
On top of that, the tea she had first offered Min-jun was laced with a specially crafted aphrodisiac she frequently used. All preparations were complete.
Now, it was only a matter of time before Min-jun fell into her grasp.
Yet, completely oblivious to this fact, Min-jun was earnestly pondering what he should ask her.
When else would he get the chance to speak one-on-one with an SSS-rank Hunter and satisfy his curiosities?
However, no matter how much he thought about it, nothing particularly came to mind.
Had he been an ordinary Hunter, perhaps—but given his circumstances, the advice she could offer might not even apply to him.
'Still, it'd be awkward not to ask anything at all.'
He could've simply refrained from asking anything, or at most, brought up cliché topics like recent Gate trends or the future outlook of the Hunter industry.
But under the influence of Yuria's Curse, Min-jun ended up blurting out something entirely unexpected.
"By any chance... do you know what kind of gifts women like?"
Yuria's expression froze in shock.
Out of all the questions he could've asked one of the world's most powerful Hunters—this was what he came up with?
Even as the words left his mouth, Min-jun couldn't understand why he had asked such a thing. Meanwhile, Yuria burst into laughter at his absurd question.
"Ah—I'm sorry. To bring up something like this in this kind of setting..."
"No, no. Didn't I say you could ask me anything? I was just a little surprised by the unexpected question. What made you think of that?"
"Well... I wanted to get my girlfriend a gift, and since we happened to meet like this..."
Truthfully, Min-jun had been thinking about surprising Sia with a gift to lift her spirits after the recent events had left her troubled.
In that context, if he could get some advice, he had considered asking others to help pick out something suitable for Sia.
But why, of all things, had he chosen to bring up such a personal question here of all places?
Min-jun's face burned red.
Of course, it never crossed his mind that it might be due to the effects of the Curse magic.
But regardless of the reason, having spoken the words, Min-jun squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry. Please forget what I just said!"
"No need. It's only natural to be curious. At first, I thought you was wondering about me, not your girlfriend."
"Wh-what?"
Flustered by her blatant remark, Min-jun's cheeks began to flush.
Yet, seeing him so flustered struck her as unbearably adorable.
'What a waste to just play with him and toss him aside...'
Simultaneously, a possessive urge bubbled up from the depths of Yuria's heart.
At first, she had only intended to drive a wedge between Sia and Min-jun—and in the process, toy with him like any other man before discarding him.
But now...
Feeling an inexplicable, peculiar charm emanating from Min-jun,
a new desire began to rise within her—to keep him by her side for much, much longer.
Taking a slow, alluring sip of tea, she rested her chin on her hand and gazed intently at Min-jun.
Throughout their conversation, she continued to prod him with personal questions, and though Min-jun sensed something was off, he answered each one earnestly.
As their exchange continued, Yuria noticed Min-jun's eyelids growing heavier.
Already fatigued before arriving and now further weighed down by her Curse, he was slipping into a deeply drowsy state.
"Mr. Min-jun, you seem sleepy."
"N-no, I'm not."
Min-jun waved his hand dismissively, as if the idea was ridiculous.
Yet the exhaustion in his drooping eyelids was impossible to hide.
Yuria smiled sweetly at the sight before whispering softly,
"Then... would you like to rest on the bed for a little while before you go?"