Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: 6★ Succubus
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<Celia Ishar>
[Traits]
[Basic Stats]
[Skills]
They enter a state of arousal every hour.
"Whoa. So this is the power of real-money spending."
My lieutenant, who had started out as a 3★, had now become a 6★.
And even her appearance had changed dramatically.
Her once scruffy silver hair flowed smoothly now. The small black horns that had poked up slightly on either side of her head had grown longer, curving down past her ears.
Her face, which had looked uneasy at 3★, now carried a relaxed poise. And that poise seemed laced with even greater allure.
I'd first used the 5,900-won package to upgrade her to 4★. Then a new 15,900-won 5★ synthesis package had popped up, so I'd bought that too.
Once she hit 5★...
Sure enough, a package for 6★ synthesis appeared next.
The only difference was the price this time—it was steep.
'59,000 won...'
The developer of this game really was money-hungry.
Normally, I'd have quit right there, but like I was possessed, I bought it anyway.
And the result? A 6★ dungeon lieutenant.
Pay-to-win lived up to its name; I couldn't complain about the outcome.
Her once mediocre stats had skyrocketed in one go, and new skills had been added to her list.
With specs like these, she could not only defend the dungeon but hold off even the Holy Knights from the Church, right?
The gap between 3★ and 6★ was that vast.
"So, what level is 6★ exactly?"
In Earth terms, outside the game, it'd be roughly equivalent to an S-rank monster.
As hunters began traveling between Earth and the Eldorado Continent, rough equivalence charts had emerged.
1★ was F or E-rank on Earth.
2★ was D-rank.
3★ was C-rank.
4★ was B-rank.
5★ was A-rank.
Beyond that, they were rare monsters, so estimates were all they had.
6★ was generally pegged as S-rank.
But S-rank monsters were incredibly rare, not just on the continent but on Earth too.
And hunters who reached S-rank were even fewer.
"At least it's comforting to think I've got an S-rank succubus now."
The one regret? Buying that Dungeon Stealth item early on.
Thanks to it, the dungeon's location was hidden for a week, so no intruders for now.
But knowing I'd get this strong from the start, I wouldn't have bothered.
I smacked my lips and browsed the game interface for a bit when a new window popped up.
Was the dev pushing another package? No, this was different.
A name input field appeared alongside the text.
"My name?"
I'd named the dungeon earlier, and now it wanted my name.
No real deliberation this time.
I was too lazy to think of something creative, and nothing came to mind anyway.
I just entered my real name in the box.
'My name is.'
Yi Kang-hyun
The moment I typed it...
"Oh, a system like this too?"
Hitting max loyalty right from the start felt great.
Must be the power of real-money spending again.
And she'll follow any order?
Celia Ishar—too much of a mouthful, so Celia it is.
Anyway, she pledged her loyalty to me.
"Now that's a proper lieutenant."
Nothing urgent to order her to do right now, though.
No intruders in the dungeon, and early-game meant slim pickings for content anyway.
"Kinda like an idle game?"
The thought crossed my mind briefly, but I decided to quit here for now.
Oh, before that.
"You handle managing and guarding the dungeon on your own."
I went to the lieutenant settings tab, where there were various behavior options, and activated 'Dungeon Management' and 'Dungeon Defense'.
She nodded happily and began patrolling the dungeon.
It was just a small, cozy cave for now, but it could expand with some labor.
A moment later, I hit the exit button and closed my eyes.
With my brief deliberations done...
"Haven't been back on Earth in ages. Time to order some chicken."
Something needed doing.
A very important something: food.
Celia Ishar.
She was a succubus. And she was deep underground in the White Church.
If you're wondering why a monster was in the Church, she'd existed there in a sealed state.
How much time had passed since her sealing?
Fortunately, her consciousness had remained intact. In other words, she'd spent every day immobile.
It was torture.
Eventually, she'd even stopped counting the days.
Otherwise, she'd have lost her mind.
Why did she deserve this fate?
Resentment twisted within her.
She had no memory of harming humans, so she couldn't comprehend it.
Common lore painted succubi as dream-invading fiends who drained men's vitality.
Many men had died in the process.
But she had never once preyed on a human for their essence.
Her soft heart wouldn't allow it; she pitied them too much.
This applied not just to humans but to other monsters too—she'd rather starve than absorb essence.
Luckily, unlike other succubi, she suffered no major bodily harm from abstaining.
The downside? She couldn't grow as a monster.
From a human perspective, at least, Celia posed no threat.
Yet the White Church had sealed her first. And she was the only succubus sealed here, which made it all the more infuriating for her.
Before her sealing, she'd once been apprenticed to the Succubus Queen.
To serve under the ruler of all succubi was an honor.
But she knew her place.
A powerless succubus who pitied humans and refused to drain them—why take her as an apprentice?
She'd asked the Queen once. The response?
'You possess talent, my dear.'
What talent? She still didn't know.
What was clear: the Queen wanted something from her.
After taking her in, the Queen began acting strangely.
She started drawing Celia's blood every single day.
Celia already avoided essence; losing blood on top of that left her state obvious.
Yet she'd endured out of gratitude for being accepted despite her uselessness.
But that routine didn't last.
One day, the Queen turned to her and said,
'You're no longer needed. Begone from my sight.'
What? The sudden dismissal froze her thoughts.
That became her last memory before the White Church sealed her. It happened in an instant.
At first, she thought the Queen and all succubi had been sealed.
But she was the only succubus down here in the Church's depths.
What had happened?
Or perhaps she knew.
She'd been betrayed.
By the Succubus Queen and her kind.
How they'd allied with the Church, she didn't know.
'......'
But if she escaped this place—if she could—she'd forgive none of them.
Not the Queen, not the Church. No one.
Yet the seal was ironclad.
No matter how she struggled, escape was impossible.
The Church's seal was thorough, patrolled in shifts by Heretic Inquisitors.
A space where even magic failed without divine power. That was this place.
Unless someone came to rescue her, she'd linger undying forever.
And no one would dare challenge the Church for her sake.
Its power was immense.
As resignation set in again...
The underground space suddenly warped.
Right in front of her sealed spot.
'......'
No presence could be felt.
This was an impenetrable sanctum.
It had been before, and she assumed it always would be.
Yet this intruder breached the Church's depths effortlessly.
An existence with an aura beyond profanation.
Why had it come here?
To free another sealed being?
Celia hoped it'd help her escape too while it was at it.
Her hopes were dashed.
The being addressed her directly.
The untouchable being had called her name.
'Ahh...'
It wanted her.
The word "slave" didn't even register.
All she knew: this being desired her.
With such majesty, it could take her by force, yet it sought her consent first.
If she accepted, she'd escape this hell.
How much time had passed here?
Her emotions had worn thin.
Pity for humans? Gone.
Anger toward the Queen and her kin who took her in? Simmering.
Just escape this place.
Then she'd start anew.
And now, a lifeline dangled before her.
No long deliberation.
'Please... grant me that chance.'
With that thought, her vision darkened.
When she came to, she realized she was no longer in the Church's depths.
"This place...?"
Her voice emerged.
The seal was broken.
Tears welled unbidden in her overwhelming emotion.
"Sniff."
She wiped her eyes and surveyed her surroundings.
Instinct told her: this was a dungeon.
A small cave, but expandable with labor.
No other beings in sight.
Unmanaged, but she felt no disappointment.
This was the domain of her savior. No—her master.
She'd devote herself to him.
"......"
But the astonishment didn't end there.
Her savior's voice echoed.
No one else was here.
Just a voice? A test, perhaps?
As she hesitated, she felt changes surging through her body.
Ahh.
Ecstasy.
Bliss enveloped her entirely.
They said succubi felt pleasure draining human essence.
Though she'd never done it, that pleasure paled against this.
As the rapture faded, Celia sensed it.
She'd grown stronger.
Strengthen yourself, it had said.
"Could it be... Master did this for me?"
No answer came.
Only the command to grow stronger still.
Another wave of intense pleasure crashed over her.
When it all ended, Celia had transformed into an entirely new being.
A subtle sheen gleamed from her silver hair.
Her horns had grown larger.
Instinct told her: her very presence had ascended.
Perhaps rivaling the Succubus Queen of old.
Who had wrought this? No need to say.
"M-May this humble one dare ask the exalted name of her master?"
Her voice trembled.
Would it deem her rude?
Unlike her fears, the voice resounded once more.
An extraordinary name.
Smiling, Celia replied "Yes!" and vowed lifelong loyalty. She'd manage and defend this place no matter what.
No matter what.
The Heretic Inquisitors of the White Church were in an uproar.
The deepest underground chamber, where they sealed world-harming entities.
Security had been airtight, yet it was breached.
By the time they noticed, one sealed being had vanished.
The silver lining: it was a succubus.
Everyone thought the worst had been averted.
Everyone except one.
"Inform Her Majesty. Ishar, whom the Church sealed, has been freed."
Within the Church.
Someone whispered the message in secret.