How to Become an Alchemist
"You can't exactly go in there with a clear head, can you? We've still got some time before the show starts, so let's warm up first."
With those words, Seong-il led Erisha into one of the reserved rooms. He laid her down on the bed and began caressing every inch of her body.
"Ahh…!"
For a long while, he licked and sucked at every secret corner of her, savoring the act. In the middle of his delighted caresses, a knock sounded at the door.
"…?"
Seong-il opened the door with a puzzled frown. A waitress stood before him, gesturing silently for him to step outside.
"Wait here," he ordered Erisha, then left the room without another word and followed the woman.
She guided him to a nearby room. When he entered, he found Pirina waiting inside.
Pirina greeted him with a smile. "Where's your companion?"
"Still waiting in the room."
"I see."
"How are the preparations coming?"
Pirina crossed her arms. "The guards are already in position."
"Oh, nice. Thanks."
"My pleasure~"
"Still, just in case any lunatics show up, make sure the guards know the rules. Can we head out now?"
"Safety isn't an issue. However, the show is currently in full swing, so you'll need to wait by the side door near the stage. The emcee will give you the signal when it's time. I've already briefed the guards—if anything comes up, just call for them. They'll handle it immediately."
"Appreciate it."
Seong-il was about to leave after thanking her when a sudden idea struck him.
"Oh, and set up a light drinks table near the stage for me."
"…Suddenly?"
"Yeah. Once my part is over, I want to sit back and enjoy the rest of the show. Might as well give the people at the neighboring tables some extra eye candy while I'm at it."
"Ha… Understood."
After finishing his conversation with Pirina, Seong-il returned to the room. Once inside, he fastened the collar around Erisha's neck again and slipped on his mask. The mask, made of a rubber-like material, completely covered his face. He carefully rolled the lower portion up from his chin to his mouth, transforming it into a style that concealed everything except his lips.
"Heh… It's like the Phantom of the Opera mask."
Muttering to himself, he adjusted Erisha's mask in the same way and warned her.
"Be careful."
"…?"
"If you speak while wearing the mask like this, your voice won't be distorted."
Erisha's eyes widened in surprise. "?! Then… shouldn't we reset it to its original shape?"
"Don't worry. As long as you don't talk, there won't be a problem. Just moaning should be fine."
"…"
Erisha fell silent at his irresponsible remark. Seong-il grabbed her leash and gave it a tug.
"Right, then. Shall we head out now?"
"What?! I-I'm not mentally prepared yet…"
"Really? Too bad. I'm more than ready."
With a mischievous grin, Seong-il began pulling her along. Erisha tried to follow on her feet, but then he spoke again.
"Crawl."
"!?"
Erisha froze at the absurd command. Seong-il repeated it impatiently.
"I said crawl. Did you not understand?"
"Th-that's a bit…"
He sighed. "This is a show, remember? If you walk normally, it'll be less stimulating for the audience."
"I'm not a real whore! That's too much to ask!"
"Is it, though?"
"…?"
At her silence—which clearly asked what nonsense he was spouting—Seong-il began to explain.
"Think about it. If you don't commit fully, people will sense something's off."
"Even now, your behavior looks strange. For a whore, you're way too stiff. Some might excuse it by thinking you're new, but…"
"Others definitely won't. They'll wonder, 'What's with her? Why is she hiding her face? And why is she so rigid? Maybe she's a fallen noble selling her body…?' Something like that."
Erisha flinched. Seeing her reaction, Seong-il pressed his argument further.
"But if you're wearing a collar and crawling around like a dog, everyone will understand."
"What kind of bullshit…"
"Think carefully. Even a whore who's seen it all would feel humiliated if she had to crawl through a tavern with her tits and pussy exposed, wearing a dog collar, right?"
"…"
"Then your stiffness and the mask will make sense to them. No matter how much of a whore you are, people will think, 'Anyone would be embarrassed acting like that.'"
Erisha remained silent. Gaining confidence, Seong-il pushed harder.
"So crawl. That's the only way I can properly hide your identity."
His words were full of holes, and Erisha knew it. Yet the long hours of exposure and humiliating training flashed through her mind, and she felt her lower belly grow hot against her will.
That's right… It's because of what this man says. It's not… It's not that I want to enjoy this…
Making excuses to herself, Erisha quietly lowered her body. Seong-il led her like a dog as they moved toward the side of the stage.
Dancers wearing only scraps of cloth performed provocative routines, shamelessly displaying their bodies. Guests watched them with frenzied cheers, drinking noisily. The tavern pulsed with half-mad heat. The pair waited in silence for a long time, the creeping tension from the wait making their skin prickle.
Then the emcee shouted, "Did everyone enjoy the dancers' performance tonight?"
"Hell yeah! It was killer!!"
Drunken voices erupted from every corner. The emcee basked in the reaction before continuing.
"Haha! Then of course we hope you'll stay for the second half! To keep your excitement from cooling down, we've prepared a special rookie initiation show during the intermission!"
"Please welcome our new dancer E and her trainer S!"
Despite his energetic introduction, the guests seemed to expect little from an intermission show. Their lukewarm attitude remained. Even after the announcement, they turned away, chatting loudly among themselves and continuing to drink.
"Bottoms up!"
"Let's gooo!!!"
The guests, still drunk on the afterglow of the sexy dancers, gulped down their liquor like madmen. Cutting through their noise, Seong-il and Erisha finally appeared.
"Huh…?!"
A guest drinking near the stage spotted them and reacted with shock. The tables around him naturally turned to look as well.
A woman in a corset that left her breasts and pussy completely exposed, wearing a mask and a dog collar, crawling on all fours. The man leading her like someone walking a puppy.
Though most of her face was hidden, only her mouth visible, the sight of her heavy breasts dangling toward the floor and her pussy laid completely bare as she crawled like a dog was unbearably stimulating.
S and E walked slowly between the tables, displaying her to everyone.
"Whoa… What the hell is she? Who's S and who's E?"
Seong-il answered, "I'm S. This little puppy here is E!"
"Ugh… That bitch has one hell of a body!"
Voluptuous breasts, firm ass, and a slender waist that accentuated both. E's figure naturally drew every eye in the room. Several guests swallowed unconsciously at her seductive form. Her body truly was top-tier—something rarely seen even in the red-light district filled with beautiful women.
The sight of such a woman being paraded like a dog with every private part exposed delivered a fresh shock even to men who frequented the pleasure houses.
"Wow! That body's insane!"
"Shit… Look at those tits swinging against the floor."
One of the man's companions slapped his shoulder. "For tits that bounce like that, they're surprisingly perky. Guess she hasn't been handled by too many men yet?"
"You're right. Heh heh heh."
The surrounding conversations and gazes treated her like an object. It was an incredibly cruel and humiliating environment, yet Erisha was shocked to feel her pussy slowly growing wet from the stimulation.
"Hey? Look at this bitch. Her cunt's getting wet."
"What…? For real?"
As Erisha's arousal made her folds glisten, the guests quickly crowded behind her to stare.
"Damn, it really is. Look at her. Heh heh heh."
"Wasn't this supposed to be a rookie initiation? This looks more like a reward."
The men's merciless mockery left Erisha's mind reeling. In the middle of it, one particularly excited guest stepped toward her.
"That skin looks so soft and pale. Mind if I touch it once?"
Caught up in the mob mentality, the man approached Erisha. She flinched and clung to Seong-il's leg in fear—right as a hand clamped down on the guest's shoulder.
"…?"
"Customer. You looking to get beaten?"
"Uh…?"
A massive, vicious-looking man with a knife scar across his face held him in place.
"Touching the dancers is strictly forbidden here. If you lay a hand on our girls, you'll get the shit kicked out of you. Got it?"
The scar-faced brute flashed the sharp scimitar at his waist as he issued the chilling threat. Yet the guest, drunk on the crowd's energy, spat out words he would never dare say normally.
"Aww~ It's not like touching her will wear her out. C'mon, just let me grope those tits once."
"Yeah! Just let him touch them once!!"
The drunk guests and the mob that agreed with them. Then—
CRACK!
"You son of a bitch. Did you not hear me say not to touch our dancer? Or are your ears fucked?"
The brute swung his fist, knocking the man to the floor, then mercilessly hammered his huge knuckles into the guest's face.
"Can't hear well? Then I'll make sure you can. You fucking dog."
When the man's face became a bloody mess from the brutal beating, another brute grabbed his shoulder to stop him.
"Enough. Any more and he'll die."
The first brute grabbed the unconscious guest by the collar and hauled him up. He cracked his neck with a loud pop, then slung the man over his shoulder and addressed the crowd.
"Dear guests~ Please follow the rules!"
"This is the Night Dancer. The Night Dancer. We provide the best service, but we don't tolerate disturbances… You all know that, right?"
"We want to serve you as kindly as possible. We'd appreciate it if you didn't cause any trouble!"
"Do you know what might happen if you pick a fight? Someone might disappear, and only their skin might be found in the sewer nearby. Understand?"
After delivering the terrifying warning, the brute carried the man off somewhere. As soon as he left, another brute appeared to take his place. Though equally intimidating, this one smiled gently and calmed the guests.
"Gentlemen! As long as you mind your manners, you can do anything. Just keep the manners and enjoy yourselves! If you don't go overboard, we'll stay nice and quiet too!"
"Please don't approach our staff directly. Enjoy while maintaining proper etiquette!"
The brute finished speaking, then bowed deeply at ninety degrees, repeating the gesture in every direction. The previously terrified guests began whispering among themselves, easing the atmosphere.
"Got it! Now that I think about it, that guy was ridiculous, right?"
"Totally. What kind of crazy bastard tries to grope a dancer?"
"Exactly. If you're horny, just go to the back, pay, and buy a girl. He's not a beggar. Tsk tsk…"
The guests quickly changed their tune, muttering as they returned to their seats. Some went back to drinking while others took a few steps back to watch E and S from a safer distance.
Once he confirmed the situation was under control, Seong-il gently stroked Erisha's hair, grabbed her leash again, and began circling the tavern interior.
The spacious tavern had a stage and roughly fifty tables. Seong-il slowly paraded Erisha around, showing her off to the guests as if she were a prized exhibit.
Erisha crawled on all fours, feeling the men's sticky gazes on her naked body. The extreme shame and pleasure hit her simultaneously, leaving her mind numb and foggy.
After they had circled for quite some time, the lights in the tavern dimmed and the emcee reappeared.
"Everyone! Did you enjoy the special rookie initiation show that newcomer dancer E performed during the intermission? The second half of the dancers' show is about to begin, and it's going to get much hotter!"
"Please use the restrooms now and return to your seats quickly!"
As the emcee spoke, dancers began appearing on stage shortly after. Seong-il used the moment to move to the table Pirina had prepared right in front of the stage.