Affinity Farming (5)
Affinity Farming (5)
A refreshing stride, leaping between buildings.
Being surrounded by those soft, warm mounds of flesh while facing the wind whipping violently against my face.
[Uwaaaa!! Speed, just a little! Just slow down a littleeee!!]
Scary!
It's too scary!
Humans are creatures originally meant to keep both feet on the ground.
We have absolutely no biological organs for flying.
Even now, with dazzling scientific advancements reaching beyond the sky and into space, humans cannot fly with their bare bodies.
There are those who, often sponsored by beverage companies that suspiciously love things beyond mere thrills, challenge the domain of flying beasts, but...
They are actually just falling, not truly flying.
The Navigator isn't my real body, but since sensory organs are connected similarly to a real body, just as I felt relieved upon touching the ground, if the woman jumped up, I had to feel that bone-chilling terror all over again.
"We're here. You're actually pretty cute when you're scared, jagi?"
[Huaaa.... I thought I was really going to die.]
Only after escaping the confinement of her tan breasts did a sense of relief wash over me.
It's a good thing this isn't my real body. If it were, I might have made a little mistake.
"But jagi, are you sure about the coordinates? Your teammates aren't here?"
[Yeah. Maybe they're hiding somewhere not too far away?]
In the destroyed city where the mud had left and silence had settled, only the headless corpses of Boblins were scattered messily.
It's a miserable sight, but the news that Dolorence and Hwaran overcame their fear and moved is not bad news.
"Two biological signals have been confirmed nearby."
[Location?]
"It's about 1km to the south."
To think they've already gone that far, even though not much time has passed since luring the mud and receiving support from the Gung Office.
Should I say ability users are amazing, or should I be proud of their initiative?
Well, anyway, I can just go with this woman.
"Alright, then let's get back to—."
[No, no, just run normally, please.]
"Oh my, were you really that scared, jagi?"
[...Ugh.]
Since I didn't answer, the woman chuckled and picked me up.
The soft, warm sensation continued just like before, and this time, we were running!
"Hold on tight. Hmm... if you can, grab that protruding part ha-rd. It'd be good if you gripped it strongly, like you're about to rip it off."
[Wha, what.]
Her sly laughter makes it confusing whether she's joking or serious. I had no choice but to place my tiny hand on the flesh and we started.
But it didn't take long to regret this choice.
Because it was shaking like crazy.
[Uwa, uwaaaa....]
My vision swayed in sync with the up-and-down movement of her breasts.
Because it was spinning and shaking dizzily, I wanted to turn off the vision sharing, but since I was the only one who could check the signals of the two people on the Navigator, what could I do? It wasn't that long of a distance, so I just endured it.
[It's around here.]
"That's them. Hmm, they even managed to get Dolorence?"
I could spot the two of them not far away.
Hwaran, who was full of wariness, and the back of Dolorence, who was looking around with relaxed steps.
[Everyone! I'm here!]
"Oh, Director-nim?"
"What! I trusted you... Ugh. Why is she here..."
It wasn't exactly the kind of behavior one should do while wedged between someone's voluptuous breasts, but I was happy to see them, so I waved my hand vigorously.
Hwaran, with a happy expression, and Dolorence, with a face that looked like she had seen something she shouldn't have, slowly approached us.
"What happened? And who is this person..."
[I asked Seora-ssi to send a rescue request while luring that monster. Oh, right, this is Hwaran-ssi, who joined the team for this operation.]
"I'm B-rank Hwaran. Thank you for your help."
As Hwaran bowed deeply to express her gratitude, the woman smiled and waved her hand.
"It's nothing. I'm Monia from the Gung Office."
Upon hearing Monia's self-introduction, Hwaran jerked her head up and stared at Monia with surprised eyes.
"Monia-ssi from the Gung Office...? You're S-rank..."
It's no wonder rookies would react like that.
In a game where you have to sell characters, S-ranks are common, but in reality, they are rare—no, they're practically legendary creatures.
From S-rank, one can perform most A-class operations alone without needing teammates.
Plus, the Gung Office.
The scale itself is small, but all the hired personnel are S-rank, making it a big-shot office that is called upon as the first priority whenever a Special-class crack opens.
Hwaran's eyes were sparkling, showing how overwhelming it was for her to face such a legendary figure.
"Dolorence, we haven't met in a while, aren't you going to greet me?"
"Eck. Why should I greet an ajumma..."
[Hey! Dolorence-ssi. What kind of way is that to talk to your savior!]
Dolorence pouted at Seora's scolding, who had joined the radio transmission at some point.
"She's always picking on me..."
Leaving Dolorence to grumble and sulk in the corner, Hwaran continued with her curiosity.
"That mud... should I call it a monster? What exactly is it?"
"I don't know that either. I repelled it in one hit, but it didn't seem like an ordinary guy. It's no wonder you were making a fuss and begging to be saved, right?"
Monia's shrugging attitude is annoyingly smug.
When did I beg? I just asked for help.
[Hwaran-ssi, do you know about what's beyond the cracks?]
"Just that it's a land of death."
Hmm. Does basic hunter training stop there?
I don't know if this is a setting I'm allowed to reveal..., but wouldn't it be much better to know and prepare than to be ignorant?
After a moment of hesitation, I opened my mouth with difficulty.
[The guys who crossed over the cracks call the place they used to live 'Eden'.]
Eden.
A paradise on earth and a world of dreams.
However, the appearance of the things that crossed over from there was quite ugly, their nature was ferocious, and they are a race that loathes humans.
I thought it was a name that didn't fit at all, but from the perspective of a scenario writer, there must have been some hidden setting.
[And in Eden, unlike ordinary monsters, there are 'Rulers'. The one we saw today is one of them. It's a guy called Nyabelungrya.]
The faces of the two people listening to my explanation crinkle slightly. Dolorence, who had been sulking in the corner, must have been listening, as she had a similar reaction.
"You just said its name, right?"
"That was a name? I heard it as something closer to a beast's growl."
[Huh, was there noise...?]
I tilted my head at their simultaneous reaction, and Seora, who was in the office, checked the monitor and shook her head.
"No. There were no problems with the vocal organs or the radio. In the first place, it sounded strange to my ears, too, even though I was right next to you."
Ah, it's that thing.
The Rulers of Eden.
It's the original work where they poured in excessive settings, trying to clumsily mix in cosmic horror, and plastered those things with overpowered settings.
There's stuff about them symbolizing sins, or just being fucking overpowered, but the thing is, ordinary people's minds collapse just by looking at them, or their names cannot be pronounced by human vocal organs.
Considering that, I'm fine and I pronounced it well.
Is it a setting issue?
[Ah, is that so. I see. But I can't tell you right now.]
"""?"""
Question marks appeared on the faces of the three people plus one.
But I can't tell them.
[For now, just know that such things exist. Knowing the information itself would be dangerous for now.]
"If Director-nim says so, then it must be."
"Then, my role is done, so I'll head back."
Monia puts me down and stretches her body, extending her limbs.
I was staring blankly at her resilient buttocks, peeking out from short jeans that looked like the hem was all ripped off, and her massive breasts that stopped moving as she stretched, when Monia poked the Navigator's cheek.
[Ah.]
"You're lecherous. Guide them out well, jagi. And I'll be there soon."
[What?]
"Huh?"
Leaving Hwaran with an absurd expression and me, who had turned pale, Monia smiled brightly and waved.
"I think I'll see that friend there again soon. Since the operator will probably be left at the office, get good guidance. I'll be taking your Director, okay?"
"W-wait a minute!"
Monia is already leaping away.
Come to think of it, Monia didn't seem to have a Navigator, but do S-ranks have portable Navigators? Or are they unaffected by corruption regardless of that?
As I stared blankly at Monia's back, which got smaller with every jump, Hwaran approached me, creaking.
"What do you mean, taking him? The Director-nim?"
[Hmm, well, that's how it is. It's the price for the rescue request.... Still, it's a cheap price to pay. I just have to suffer a little....]
Monia loves the protagonist.
I don't know why, but it seemed like there was something intertwined with the protagonist's unrevealed past.
That's why she came running in a single bound at my request.
And isn't S-rank help for a date a pretty good deal?
"No."
[Ugh. Wha, what is it....]
Hwaran's burning eyes are directed at me, pressing her palms firmly against the Navigator's soft cheeks.
"You're, you're... paying with your body, right? Because of me, the Director-nim is suffering such... such humiliation... Ugh."
What. What kind of misunderstanding is she having?
It's just a date.
Does she think everyone in the world is like her? Trying to jump someone's bones the moment they get a chance.
Hmph, Monia isn't that kind of person.
Though I don't really know.