Awakening (3)
Awakening (3)
Ga-hee frowned as she looked down at me and Deokgu. We hung our heads like guilty criminals, staring at the ground.
「......So, you spent six, s-six silver coins at the brothel?」
「......Sorry.」
「No! You think sorry ends this......! Haa, forget it. Never mind.」
We got caught going to the brothel.
It was impossible not to get caught, really. Deokgu, who managed the money, and I had vanished all night, and when we came back, several silver coins were missing.
They looked at us like we were trash. We couldn't lift our heads under that gaze full of contempt.
Considering they earned just over a dozen silver coins on average in a whole month, we'd blown half of that in one night.
「......No allowance for you two until next month. No objections?」
「Yeah.」
「Yeah......」
「And from now on, we'll manage the money. Gotta be able to trust the guys, right?」
「That's......」
「What? You went too, so you want pity for spending less?」
「......Nah, got nothing to say.」
Deokgu, who'd only spent one silver coin, looked at her with a wronged expression, but since he'd gone to the brothel just like me, he was no better than a fellow sinner.
On top of that, hadn't Deokgu been handling the money all this time because they trusted him?
For him to blow it like that overnight was basically throwing away all the trust he'd built up.
「Fine, you two. Get lost. Hoo...... How am I gonna make up this money......」
Hearing that, we scrambled up and headed to our room. Cold stares stabbed into us.
「Perverted bastards.」
Hearing Seoyun say that, we slipped into the room and let out heavy sighs.
「......Five times?」
「Eh, about that.」
「Whoa...... That guy's a total maniac. For real.」
Deokgu nodded with an understanding look as he said that. Ignoring his gaze, I threw myself onto the bed.
Then I checked my ability again.
[Ruler of Women's Hearts]
─View Details
+Granted Skills
<Large Size>
<Sexual Technique (Advanced)>
<Sexual Stamina>
Including the skills from my first experience, I'd gained one more: Sexual Stamina.
'Not bad, but......'
My cheat ability, Ruler of Women's Hearts, grows stronger the more sex I have with women. More precisely, my body evolves to match their tastes.
If they're not satisfied with my dick's length, it gets longer.
If they dislike my technique, I gain insane skills.
If they feel my stamina's lacking, I become super virile.
Of course, it's not automatic. They have to genuinely want it, and I have to agree to the change.
Otherwise, per some pro's wishes, I'd have a finger-sized dick and premature ejaculation that blows before even inserting.
'That said, it's not omnipotent.'
If it were, I'd fuck a priestess who wants to bang a god, become an almighty deity, and head back to the original world.
The fact I haven't means this ability has clear limits.
'Can't just leech off it, huh.'
Still, this power was plenty useful.
Cold stares fly at me and stick. When I awkwardly sidle closer, the two subtly pull away.
We can't stay too far apart inside the dungeon, so they don't go far...... but that's enough to hurt.
'What's the big deal about hitting the brothel...... Did they front the cash?'
I think that sometimes, but I'm not dumb enough to say it out loud.
In the end, I trudged through the dungeon passages like the sinner I was.
「Kururuk.」
Soon, a familiar monster sound echoed. Goblin. Hearing it, Seoyun unleashed her ability, sweeping everywhere.
「Kieeeek!」
「Kuweeeek!」
Like venting built-up stress on the monsters, ice shards scattered all around.
Normally, Seoyun would efficiently take them down with minimal power, but today she was going overboard with the show of force.
'Whoa, she's seriously pissed......?'
Well, aside from hitting the whorehouse, blowing six silver coins—a huge sum—was wrong.
Excluding bare survival costs for food and sleep, it was about 20% of our spare funds.
So yeah, Seoyun hunting hard to cover it made sense.
「Hey.」
「Yes.」
「Water.」
「Here you go.」
I handed Seoyun the uncapped canteen, then circled around picking up magic stones dropped by the goblins.
Once I'd gathered about a dozen, Seoyun moved on to hunt the next batch.
Encounter goblins.
Wipe them out.
Pick up stones.
Encounter goblins.
Wipe them out.
Pick up.......
In just half a day, Seoyun had collected magic stones worth the six silver coins I'd spent. Frowning, she said,
「Don't spend recklessly next time.」
「Huh?」
「......Money. If one person acts on their own, others have to cover the loss. You know that, right?」
「......Oh, that.」
Hearing that, I bent at a 90-degree bow and apologized. Even if it was to test my ability, the spending was excessive.
「Sorry, I'll be careful next time.」
「......Fine, whatever.」
Seoyun hid her flushed face and moved forward. I dashed ahead to scout the path.
「Quota's met, so...... Wanna head to the 2nd floor?」
We headed to the dungeon's 2nd floor.
I'd wondered about this before.
Easier to make money on the 1st floor than the 2nd, so why hunt up there?
The answer was simple.
'Leveling up......'
This ranoveltic world was straight out of a light novel: killing monsters grows your muscles and boosts abilities.
Of course, goblins won't cut it, and it varies by person—some never level up their whole lives.
But if you can level up and climb higher, the money's incomparable to goblin-hunting.
'Who the hell spread that rumor?'
Deokgu's ability uncovered it, but not who started it.
Meaning someone was subtly pushing people to conquer the dungeon.
'Dunno why.'
Using his knowledge and deductive reasoning, Deokgu guessed the dungeon's end held a way back to our original world.
The reason we got these cheat powers and ended up in this otherworld? Probably there too.
So, climbing the dungeon was our only move.
Arriving on the 2nd floor, we stayed alert. Remembering the King Turtle that ambushed us at the entrance last time, but luckily, nothing happened.
Seoyun, too lazy to go farther, leaned against the wall by the entrance and stretched her hands forward.
She closed her eyes. Invisible from here, countless ice tendrils spread from her fingertips.
Like spiderwebs, they infiltrated the dungeon, scouting monsters.
「Found one.」
Seoyun clenched her fist—kuk. The soundless dungeon seemed to echo with a monster's skull crunching.
「Go pick 'em up. I'll...... stay here.」
「Danger...... Nah, nothing can touch you.」
I started worrying about Seoyun, then shook my head. Nothing on the 2nd floor could threaten her.
With Eunha, I circled picking up scattered magic stones. Seoyun had told me locations ahead, so recovery was quick.
After about five minutes, with all stones collected, we headed back to the entrance.
And there we found Seoyun collapsed.
「─Seoyun!?」
My body moved first. Rushing over, I supported her from the floor. Seoyun barely exhaled faint breaths.
「Haa... haa...」
「Hey! You okay!?」
「Hngggh......」
「Hey, hey!」
I scanned her body. No blood or wounds. So not ambushed while we were gone.
'Then what the hell?'
No time to think. I hoisted Seoyun on my back and told Eunha,
「Eunha! Grab that and run!」
「......Okay.」
Eunha calmly grabbed the bag and followed. Carefully avoiding goblins, we escaped the dungeon.
「Unghh...!」
「Hang on a bit.」
We rushed straight to the Class President. She was working at the tavern and approached in shock at our sudden arrival.
「Whoa, Dojin? Why so soon......」
「Seoyun collapsed.」
「Collapsed? Why? Wait, lemme see.」
I carried Seoyun to the room and laid her on the bed.
At the same time, my palm touched her lower abdomen.
─Condition met.
'......What?'
[Seoyun]
Arousal Level: 100 (In Heat)
Erogenous Zones: Clitoris
Inner Thoughts: (Fuck me fuck me fuck me fuck me fuck me)
'What the......'
As I panicked, the Class President brushed past and reached Seoyun. Placing a hand on her head and activating her ability, Seoyun's ragged breaths slowly stabilized.
I checked her status.
[Seoyun]
Arousal Level: 70 (Aroused)
Erogenous Zones: Clitoris
Inner Thoughts: (......)
Her in-heat arousal had dropped a lot, and now asleep, no thoughts registered.
「Look at her sweat...... Needs a wipe-down. Dojin? Wanna stay?」
「......Nah, sure. Anything I can help with?」
「I'm good. Out.」
Per the Class President, I left the room and headed to mine, deep in thought.
'Definitely...... not seeing things?'
No mistake. Seoyun had been...... in heat. Why? Did the King Turtle have a heat-induction effect?
'No, not that......'
I recalled our first days here. Han-young wiping out dozens of goblins in one go.
Since he had that power, I figured all us cheat kids could do similar.
I was right.
'It's the risk.'
After one Super Strength use, Han-young's arm was wrecked. Beyond modern medicine......
Seoyun had no risk, though. Defying thermodynamics and equivalent exchange.
High risk—high return.
Powerful abilities demand heavy prices.
'Seoyun's is ice manipulation...... Ice. Right, heat.'
Saw a docu back on Earth about a queen cursed to freeze everything.
Freezing the sea to cross? Thermodynamically, it's like seven nukes' worth of heat building in her body.
So, creating ice pillars, cooling the dungeon air with ice sprays—how much heat was piled up in Seoyun's body?
'In heat makes sense.'
Lucky me, I had a way to minimize her risk.
Whether Seoyun agrees is another story.