The Basics Are Important
I approached the porter girl from an A-rank adventurer party. “Hello.”
“Oh, it’s black-hair,” the girl said, pointing at me while chewing on a strip of jerky.
“My name is Kang Seo-ja.”
Still munching, the girl stared at me with open wariness. “Vivian.”
“I was wondering whether you accept bedtime commissions.”
“Bedtime?”
“Yes. In Cashew Village they call me the black-haired incubus. If you ever need a truly satisfying night…”
“Don’t need it.”
“Understood. If you change your mind, please come find me.”
“...”
The porter girl shoved me away, eyes full of caution. It was the expected reaction. Women in this world might be starved for sex, but that didn’t mean every last one of them craved it.
A failure.
I had wanted her porter abilities, yet not everything could be obtained so easily. For now I would simply spread my name and look for other work.
The requests posted were:
[F] Herb Gathering Near the Village — 1 Gold
[F] Herb Service for Frail Male Adventurers — 3 Gold
Same issuer. Gather the herbs for one gold, then spend the night with her for three more. Four gold total and I would obtain her stats as well.
Herbs, huh…
Outside the village lay nothing but open grassland. If I gained herbalism knowledge, I might be able to tell the difference between ordinary plants and medicinal ones, harvest them, and sell them myself.
I tore the two request slips free and walked to the reception desk.
“As expected, Sir Kang Seo-ja is always diligent.”
The male receptionist stamped the forms twice—thud, thud—and handed them back.
“Has anything noteworthy happened at the guild lately?”
“I assume you already know.”
The A-rank party I had glimpsed on the second floor immediately came to mind.
“You mean the A-rank party that brings back a flood of loot.”
“Yes. I noticed earlier that you seemed quite interested in Miss Vivian as well.”
The receptionist’s observational skills were impressive. He watched every adventurer’s movement with sharp attention.
“I am interested… but she appears to dislike me.”
“Everyone dislikes strangers at first.”
“True enough.”
“Hmm… Now that I think of it, I heard she likes sweet desserts. The moment she arrived at the guild she asked where the nearest dessert shop was.”
“Dessert?”
“Information regarding the one silver you gave me last time.”
“…Thank you.”
Because we were both men, the receptionist had offered me help. In a world ruled by powerful women, the weaker males seemed to support one another quietly, like comrades in the same boat.
So different from the world I came from.
Next time I visited the guild I would bring something sweet.
With the two request forms in hand I headed for the general store near the guild.
“Hey, black-hair.”
I turned. It was the female guard captain who had stood beside Isabella.
“What is it?”
“Lady Isabella is looking for you.”
“I’m busy right now.” I showed her the request slips.
“Then come when you have time. She said she wishes to express her gratitude.”
“To me? …Understood. I’ll visit as soon as I can.”
The guardswoman turned on her heel. Last time she had radiated killing intent, trying to drive me away. Today she was almost friendly.
Not a bad development.
It felt good to sense the village slowly beginning to trust me.
I opened the door to the general store and stepped inside.
“Welcome?”
When I removed my robe, a plain-looking woman with brown hair and prominent freckles greeted me. The freckles gave her an unexpectedly cute charm.
“I’m here for the requests.”
“Ah, the herb gathering, right?”
Even knowing I had black hair, the shopkeeper remained unfazed. It seemed the villagers no longer recoiled at the sight of me.
“Yes, and I’ll take this one as well.”
“Ah… hehe.” The freckled woman looked at the second slip and gave a seductive little laugh. “Thank you.”
She thanked me before I had even completed the job.
Gathering the herbs proved simple. The freckled woman’s drawings were excellent; she handed me a scroll illustrated with the target plants and asked for a hundred of them. I asked whether two hundred would earn me two gold.
“That’s right. Think you can manage?”
“I’ll give it a try.”
Seventy percent of the Korean peninsula had been mountains. Growing up, I had often gone into the hills with my parents or uncle to pick wild greens—dandelions, aralia shoots, mugwort. I didn’t expect it to be especially difficult.
As predicted, the work was easy. With no competitors like those back on Earth, the herbs lay everywhere. I gathered more than forty per hour. I scoured the area around the village and collected every specimen the shopkeeper had requested.
“Time to head back.”
The sky was darkening. In five hours I had managed to gather roughly two hundred.
I returned to the store and showed the owner my haul.
“You’re amazing.”
“They were all over the place.”
“Still, odd jobs are tedious. Here’s two gold. And… could you lock the shop door on your way over?”
“Of course.”
That night I discovered that the freckled woman’s pubic hair was a vivid orange.
“Aah… it feels so good.”
She had been excited from the very first touch. She must have been terribly pent-up; her aggression reminded me of Helga for a moment.
Rarity Discernment
Instead of the expected herbalism skill I had gained something far more valuable. From now on, when I looked at ores or items I could see a faint glow of mana. Higher-quality objects shone brighter.
While gently stroking the freckled woman’s hair as she lay there with a blissful smile, I examined the goods displayed throughout the shop.
That one must be expensive.
A silver horn radiated concentrated crimson mana. Simply studying the merchandise taught me how to apply my new ability.
“Mmm… Mr. Black-hair, do you like women?”
“I don’t dislike them.”
She kept asking questions while her hand stroked my cock—an unmistakable invitation for round two. I had no intention of refusing. There were still more stats to harvest.
Another idea occurred to me.
“Does the store carry any sweet snacks?”
“Sweet things?”
“Yes. I get sugar crashes when I walk around outside for too long.”
“Hehe… Of course. We have everything a general store can possibly stock.”
She showed me candies and soft marshmallows, then produced a single herb along with them.
“You seem strong at night so you might not need this, but if you chew it thoroughly it’s very good for men.”
This had to be the “herb service for frail male adventurers” listed on the request. It resembled wild ginseng. A soft white mana glowed around it like a tiny aura. Just as she claimed, it appeared to be a virility tonic.
I popped it into my mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
Virility +20
Twenty points from a single herb. I was stunned. If I gathered and ate these while traveling outside the village…
I won’t have to worry about stats ever again.
I used my newly elevated virility to pin the freckled woman beneath me once more.
“Aah…!”
“I’ll make sure you can’t think about any other man for the next several days.”
“Aah… yes…”
All night long the freckled woman lost her mind, spreading her legs for me again and again.
I left the general store at dawn and made my way to Syucali’s hideout.
“Master Kang Seo-ja, you’re back?”
Syucali had been staring at the hideout with clear displeasure, but when she saw me her expression shifted into an awkward smile.
“What’s bothering you?”
“Ah… no, it’s nothing. It’s just that the place looks like a noble’s mansion now.”
“And that’s a problem?”
“Of course not. I only follow your wishes, Master.”
She dislikes it because it’s become too clean.
It was absurd, yet she seemed dissatisfied that the hideout had lost its former shabby charm—the memories and nostalgia it once held.
“A slave suffering stress over trivial matters.”
I stripped off my clothes and pulled Syucali close.
“S-sorry… mmmph…”
She apologized even as she hurried to undress. While I held her I spoke.
“Isabella’s guard came looking for me.”
“Eut… haa… eueut… Eh?”
“Did you tell her?”
“Th-that… well… I just wanted them to know you helped us…”
“You leaked information like an idiot.”
“Eut… I’m sorry.”
“How long are you going to keep apologizing?”
“Hic… aah♥”
I scolded her while she both hated and loved it. Naturally she began shaking her hips at me. Her earlier complaints about the now-spotless hideout had completely vanished.
“You are my slave. Accept everything I desire—including my tastes.”
“Aah. Yes, Master Kang Seo-ja. Master. Incubus Master…”
She was falling deeper under my control with every passing day. She clung to me again and again, allowing herself to be tamed once more.
“Pick one title and stick with it.”
“Then… Master Kang Seo-ja… or Master is nice too…”
This might be difficult.
“Haa… Just call me whatever you like.”
“Yes…”
As expected, Syucali was eccentric in every way.
“How much have you gathered?”
“A little over three hundred gold now.”
“I earn about fifteen gold every three days. You made ninety gold in that time?”
“That’s right.”
“Impressive.”
“It’s hard work… but I’ll do my best for you, Master.”
“For the sex, you mean.”
“Ah… that too, but…”
She didn’t deny it. Pure Syucali.
“Then let’s head out again today.”
“You’re always so diligent, Master. Working day after day is exhausting for me.”
“You rest on weekends, don’t you?”
“No. Other adventurers rest until they’ve spent every coin from their last request.”
“Are those even people? To me they’re mayflies—creatures with no thought for the future.”
“…It’s true, so I can’t argue.”
Even in a world where women were physically stronger, their fondness for idle chatter with close companions remained unchanged.
“I’m off to the adventurer guild.”
“Good luck, Master Kang Seo-ja.”
“You too.”
As I left Syucali’s hideout I pulled the sweets from my pocket.
She said she likes sweet things.
I clutched several candies and set off toward the guild.