The Distortion Barrier

Owen's comment about wanting to be invited back as he disembarked from the cruise was no empty remark.

After having sex with Han Seolbin—a woman who already had a boyfriend named Lee Siwoo—and confirming there were no consequences, he concluded that this relationship could continue.

During his time aboard the cruise, he had drawn two inferences.

Either the couple, Lee Siwoo and Han Seolbin, were being pressured into certain acts, or Lee Siwoo harbored a netorase fetish. Or possibly both.

Yet on the final day, he became convinced that Lee Siwoo was engaging in netorase of his own free will.

It was because Siwoo had stopped him from fucking the drunk Sodam at dawn.

From what Owen had observed during his stay, Sodam shared no relationship with Siwoo whatsoever. Siwoo's own words had confirmed as much.

One could not suggest netorase to a woman who wasn't their lover. If Siwoo and Han Seolbin were voluntarily practicing netorase, then Sodam would become a victim.

From Siwoo's perspective, that was something to be prevented at all costs. That was why he had intervened when Owen tried to take her.

It was a completely different pattern of behavior from the way he had coaxed Han Seolbin into having sex with him by even arranging massage services.

Seeing how Siwoo treated the two women differently, Owen grew certain of his theory.

That was why he had so readily given up on Han Sodam.

If Siwoo's netorase was truly voluntary, then it was entirely possible for him to abandon it at any moment.

If Owen pushed things by touching Sodam and inflicted damage beyond what Siwoo intended, there was a chance Siwoo would abandon netorase entirely.

Even so, Owen had not truly surrendered his desire to claim Han Sodam. Even in the scenario where Siwoo gave up on netorase, she was simply too tempting a woman.

Her face was every bit as beautiful as her older sister Han Seolbin's, and her body carried a soft, fluffy soap scent. And her figure? Was it not perfect for doggystyle?

Her breasts were admittedly small. But small breasts had their own exquisite charm. To simply let go of someone as unique as Han Sodam?

That would be an enormous waste.

So Owen had cast some bait toward Siwoo.

"As one man to another, let me give you a tip. A woman who's ideal for doggystyle is a real woman."

He had watched Siwoo's expression closely. The way Siwoo's brows had twitched for a split second at those words.

Capturing that fleeting moment, Owen felt certain. He could corrupt this man.

It was the intuition of someone who had watched countless male hunters in the Baek-sang Guild drown in lust without ever breaking free.

As always, Owen rapidly painted the picture in his mind.

The image of Siwoo, consumed by sexual desire, building a harem. The image of him, driven by his netorase tendencies, offering those harem women to Owen. And among those women, the picture that included this cute creature named Han Sodam.

Just thinking about it made his cock throb. It was a masterpiece.

As he left the cruise, Owen tossed out more bait toward Siwoo, carrying that very wish.

"It would be nice if the chance to be invited again comes up."

Half regret, half anticipation. With those feelings, Owen disembarked from the cruise and headed for the Baek-sang Guild office.

The invitation to the cruise had truly been enjoyable.

The vast blue sea.

An outdoor pool where one could soak while gazing at the horizon.

Delicious meals provided onboard.

Luxurious rooms.

It was the perfect haven to forget the complicated, headache-inducing work of the guild for a while. Simply looking at the clear blue sea brought peace to the heart.

He recalled the two people who had hosted him—Lee Siwoo and Han Seolbin. The emotional rift that had deepened when the pair left the guild had been completely mended.

Han Seolbin had guided him through the ship's facilities like a dedicated crew member and treated him with warmth.

Lee Siwoo, too, seemed far more relaxed now that he had stepped away from hunter life. The man who used to clash with him inside the Baek-sang Guild had been nowhere to be found on the cruise.

And Han Seolbin's younger sister, Han Sodam? That sweet girl had prepared delicious food at the restaurant and served it to him personally.

Perhaps because it had been a genuinely wholesome vacation in a long time, his body felt refreshed. It was as if all the toxins that had built up on land had been flushed out.

Indeed, the world did not turn according to one's expectations. To think he would wash away old grudges and grow close to Lee Siwoo and Han Seolbin.

Owen thought to himself.

'If given the chance, I'd like to go again.'

'If Captain Siwoo doesn't contact me first, I should reach out myself.'

I had been harboring uneasy thoughts that Owen might have recorded something to blackmail Seolbin while on the cruise.

Otherwise, there was no way she would have followed him.

But as I quickly tailed her, I realized my assumption was wrong.

When I found Seolbin, she was hiding her presence from Owen. Concealing herself while glaring at him with an icy stare.

That look in her eyes.

It was the same gaze she displayed in real combat as a hunter. The Ice Empress herself, radiating a killing intent so cold it was almost visible.

White vapor rose from her lips as she stared him down. Ice magic.

She was clearly preparing to cast a spell at him.

I quickly realized that what Seolbin was about to do matched my own plan exactly.

Killing Owen.

Thereby erasing everything that had happened aboard the cruise forever.

But I didn't want to stain her hands. Above ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if she killed him with ice magic, traces would inevitably remain.

Evading the society's surveillance network that would hunt those traces forever was impossible.

And the psychological burden that came from the very act of murder was beyond imagination.

Therefore.

I had to be the one to act.

Using spatial magic, I held a far greater advantage than her, whose ice fragments could easily identify her.

Even if she killed him and I erased the evidence, the mental weight she would carry from committing murder was not something to take lightly.

So I approached her directly and grabbed her.

"Seolbin."

"Si-Siwoo..."

"Don't. I'll do it."

"B-but..."

"This is something I brought on myself. Go somewhere else, Seolbin."

"..."

She hesitated. I met her eyes and gave ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her reassurance once more.

"Seolbin."

"...All right, Siwoo."

"I'll be there soon. Don't worry."

"Mm..."

I used spatial magic to send Seolbin to another location. All that remained was dealing with Owen.

In truth, it wouldn't be difficult. While compatibility mattered in fights between hunters, my magic had no particular weaknesses.

I could simply dispose of his body in a place only I knew about. In fact, assassinating someone this way could be considered the perfect application of my magic's traits.

The only issue was that I had never killed before, so I simply needed to steel my resolve.

Huu—

I took a deep breath and looked at him.

But then.

Owen's status window appeared before my eyes.

This was unusual. As captain, I possessed the ability to view the status windows of crew members and VIPs while aboard the ship.

However, seeing someone else's status window outside the cruise was a first.

Even so, the information displayed was far more simplified than what I had seen inside the ship.

Looking at the contents, I understood.

Even out here, the captain's unique skill Spectate was activating. The experiences Owen had accumulated inside the cruise as a former VIP were being displayed.

Yet one line puzzled me. The status indicating that the Distortion Barrier was in effect.

Come to think of it, in my haste to follow Seolbin as the situation escalated, I had overlooked something.

It was the cruise function I had received as a bonus reward for earning extra points during the VIP hospitality mission. One of them was called the Distortion Barrier.

I immediately opened my status window to examine the newly unlocked cruise function.

So that was it. The cruise's Distortion Barrier was a type of memory-altering magic. Owen, under its influence, no longer remembered any of the unsavory events that had taken place aboard the ship.

It seemed like a function the cruise had created to protect me and Seolbin. Looking back, it made perfect sense for such a feature to exist.

After all, the cruise was an S-class artifact, an essential item for activating the Enjoyable Harem Life mode.

The Enjoyable Harem Life mode was designed to guide me toward building a harem.

In other words, if I killed Owen here, everything that had happened so far would be rendered meaningless. The probability of me forming a harem would drop to zero.

That was why the cruise was intervening in my life, even utilizing its magical functions.

Even after reaching that conclusion, the lust I had been suppressing began to creep back up.

It was because of the line in his status window that read Han Seolbin — 1.

Those words, which forcibly dragged netorase-related memories to the surface, made me hard.

Yes. Let's admit it.

Owen. That bastard was actually quite suitable as the man who would netorase Seolbin for me.

Even without knowing that the two of us were being pressured by the cruise's forced missions, he had pushed us to the very end.

And in the end, he had slept with Seolbin. Was that all? He had even maneuvered things so that I would lay hands on Sodam.

I had noticed it back when we were in the Baek-sang Guild, but despite his build, the man had a sharp mind.

He had never acted clumsily or ruined things by rushing ahead with mere enthusiasm.

It would be hard to find anyone more fitting as a VIP for the cruise than Owen.

If another VIP mission arose and I had to engage in netorase with Seolbin again, I would need someone who could accept it and handle it well.

Yes. I would let him live.

Whether another VIP mission would be issued, whether we could live on the cruise with Seolbin again—I couldn't be certain of anything.

But at the very least, I could postpone killing him. If things went wrong, I could always kill him later. It didn't matter.

I stopped following Owen.

And I told Seolbin about the cruise's Distortion Barrier function. That Owen no longer remembered anything that had happened aboard the ship.

Even so, Seolbin still felt uneasy. But she wasn't the kind of person who would ask me to commit murder on her behalf.

With that, the matter concerning Owen, the leader of the Baek-sang Guild, was settled.

Sodam recalled Siwoo's face as he explained what had happened to her yesterday. His gentle smile. The slightly awkward way he spoke that somehow made him even cuter.

Siwoo oppa is so cute...

His explanation had quite a few holes, yet Sodam's expression remained bright.

She smiled as she stroked the head of Haemdori, who was nestled in her arms.

I knew oppa would come save me...

"Hehet—"

- End of Chapter 1 -