Chapter 229: This is Hell
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 229: This is Hell
I confirmed that Rio could enter, but since we couldn't just charge in without preparation, we stepped back out to get ready for the raid.
First, Rio used earth magic to raise walls around the entrance to block any line of sight, while Thug and Masayoshi moved around the perimeter setting up booby traps.
While barriers are useful, monsters are sensitive to mana, so it’s better not to use them outside the walls unless you want to draw unnecessary attention.
Meanwhile, I unpacked my gear next to the car and started a campfire.
Doing this made it feel like we were out on a camping trip or a survival show, which was surprisingly fun.
Once the perimeter was secure, we gathered again. We packed Rio’s bag with items and held a final briefing.
“You don’t need to clear the whole place or go deep. Just follow the signs and find the control room. I’ve put mana stones in your bag, so if the power is cut, use them to jumpstart the system.”
“I know these mana stones are expensive, but can they really power an entire facility? Man, I really don’t want to go in.”
“You saw the entrance open. The facility is functional; it’s just possible the control room specifically lost power.”
Listening from the side, Masayoshi tilted his head, wondering if that was actually possible, but then nodded, agreeing that it was good to be prepared.
Well, in the game, the power to the control room is always cut, forcing you to wander around looking for mana stones. It’s a classic developer trick to pad out playtime by making you take the long way around.
Since there was no guarantee it wouldn't happen here too, I had made sure to acquire mana stones that were highly compatible with ancient facilities.
“The control room isn't far, so there’s no danger. You just need to turn it on and deactivate the entrance defense system.”
“No danger? I’m the one going in, you know!”
“There isn’t, there isn’t. Stop whining and get in there.”
“Ugh...”
Rio whined incessantly, clearly terrified and reluctant to enter.
This guy was so full of himself when we were hunting trash mobs, but the moment he had to go somewhere without us, he turned into a total coward.
“Here, take this.”
“A coin?”
“Yeah, it’s your lifeline. If things get dangerous, I’ll save you with space magic, so don’t worry and just go.”
“Oh... Oh? But how will you know if I’m in danger? Communication doesn't work once I'm inside.”
“...This is why I hate quick-witted brats.”
“Hey!”
Dammit, I was trying to coax him into going quickly, but why did Rio suddenly get smart?
Thug looked worried about Rio going in alone, but Masayoshi was snickering on the side, enjoying the show.
“Enough, just get in. I’ve stuffed your bag with items, so what are you worried about?”
Like a Shiba Inu refusing to go home after a walk, Rio dug his heels in, but I forcibly dragged him and shoved him inside.
Once past the blue mana barrier, Rio stood there dazed for a long time, perhaps steeling his resolve, before looking back at us.
“I’m counting on you, Virgin.”
“Don’t call me a virgin! And don’t worry about me! Don’t you dare start cooking ramen! I’m hungry too!” Rio shouted, seeing us huddling around the campfire getting ready to eat ramen and drink coffee.
“Don’t worry, we’re already worried about you being a virgin. While you’re opening the entrance, we’re going to have an in-depth discussion about your future and your chances of ever escaping virginity.”
“...Just you wait.”
Rio grumbled as he disappeared into the dark corridor.
“Phew, he finally went in.”
“It’s his first time doing something alone, so he’s bound to be nervous.”
Masayoshi chuckled and began grinding coffee beans with a hand mill.
That guy has surprisingly sophisticated tastes.
Bathed in the flickering light of the campfire, the sight of him grinding coffee with a faint smile should have looked cool... but then again, maybe not.
As expected, the face is the most important thing.
“How were you so certain?”
“Huh? About what?”
Masayoshi looked at me while sipping from a steel cup filled with coffee.
“The Kagemusha. That informant... well, let’s assume they exist. Even if you knew, wouldn't you normally verify it first?”
“...Because I was sure it was a Kagemusha.”
This guy, stop turning into God Sayoshi every time you doubt me.
Masayoshi stared at me intently across the campfire before shrugging his shoulders.
“If you were wrong, you would have killed an innocent person.”
“I told you, I was sure.”
“Most people can’t do that.”
“My face isn't exactly 'most people' either.”
“...I suppose that’s true.”
Masayoshi glanced at Thug, who was blissfully ignorant, eating his ramen with a naive expression and muttering, “Ramen is so good!” Masayoshi gave a vague nod of agreement.
He was signaling that he wouldn't press the issue further since Thug was there.
It’s true, I did handle things hastily because I wanted to get the quest over with.
Even if an informant hadn't told me, if I had obtained that kind of information, I normally would have verified it first. Because I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
Even if I had attacked, I would have focused on subduing them and revealing their identity rather than killing them.
Looking at it this way, my actions were definitely those of someone who already knew the future.
To someone with a 'pure brain' like Rio or Thug, it was a subtle difference they wouldn't notice, but to people like God Sayoshi or Park Yu-jeong, the discrepancy was visible.
“But will Rio be okay?”
“You were eating your ramen just fine, and now that your stomach is full, you’re finally thinking about Rio?”
“No... it’s just...”
Thug rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with a bitter smile.
Man, this isn't just a reformation; it’s like he’s a different person entirely. Did someone possess you too?
Strangely, his personality has become much milder than it ever did in the game.
Is it because he’s hanging out with the Comedy Duo?
They seemed to hang out a lot even when I wasn't around, so it looks like their personalities have rubbed off on him.
“No need to worry. It probably won't be dangerous. In fact, he might even like it.”
“Like it?”
Masayoshi chuckled and explained to Thug.
“Ancient facilities usually have defense systems configured according to the conditions written at the entrance.”
“...? Only virgins... can enter, but what does that have to do with defense?”
Thug tilted his head, unable to understand.
If I didn't know this was an eroge, I’d probably have the same expression as Thug, wouldn't I?
Masayoshi smiled as if amused and continued speaking while sipping his coffee.
“They’re called defense systems, but if the entry conditions aren't combat-related, you can usually just think of them as a nasty prank by the ancients.”
“Didn't you say it was a military facility? A place like that wouldn't use pranks for defense.”
“Who knows? Calling it a military facility is just a guess. It’s my first time seeing one in person too, but I’ve heard there are surprisingly many strange conditions.”
“...Then, what kind of defense would there be for a virgin?”
At Thug’s question, Masayoshi looked at me with eyes that said, 'You know too, which is why you aren't worried, right?'
“Well... maybe a beautiful woman trying to take his virginity, or hallucinations tempting him? Whatever it is, it’ll be heaven for Rio. We just have to hope he doesn't get too into it and die from exhaustion.”
“...Maybe it’s because I’m stupid, but I don’t get it. Why would something like that exist?”
No, Thug. It’s normal not to understand this.
And Masayoshi, there’s one thing you’ve got wrong.
Rio isn't experiencing heaven right now; he’s experiencing hell.
This game was made for Akito.
Akito, who has sex while working part-time, has sex while fighting, and has sex even when he’s just standing still—there’s no way he’s a virgin.
To be precise, the condition isn't 'virgin,' but 'someone who has never experienced sex.'
By the time Akito gets his Black License and heads outside the Barrier in the game, he’s already had sex dozens of times.
In the first place, the game never mentioned him being a virgin during his first sex scene, so he probably lost it before the game even started.
With women throwing themselves at him and opening their legs just by him standing there, there’s no way he’d be a virgin at that age.
Then why was such a strange condition attached?
Since Akito can’t enter, the heroines have to.
That’s right. It’s a common trope in eroges featuring female protagonists.
You know, those eroges where the female lead is relentlessly toyed with and harassed.
A beautiful woman trying to take his virginity? Hallucinations tempting him?
The gender was wrong from the start. It’s not for virgins; it’s for maidens.
Everything inside is designed to make a woman submit.
I knew what would come out, but I couldn't possibly tell Rio.
If I were the only one who could enter, I would have found a way to destroy the entrance and cut the power before going in.
Rio, I’ll pray for your soul.
I won't worry, though, since you won't lose your life.
* * *
“Aaaaagh! It’s a Flying Dick!!!”
Rio screamed and ran as he saw a cock flying toward his mouth.
His life wasn't in danger, but feeling his dignity and sexual identity threatened, Rio was sprinting like a madman in sheer terror.
Glancing back, he saw a hideous sight.
A lone dick, detached, with wings attached to the testicles.
Rio fought back the urge to vomit at the sight of a creature so foul even God would weep, and pushed his legs to move faster.
There was a variety of them: some were the size of a horse’s massive member, while others were curved in a U-shape.
As dicks of all shapes and sizes lunged for his mouth, Rio desperately covered it with both hands, determined not to lose his purity.
Seeing this, the dicks targeted Rio’s butt instead, as if to say that wasn't the only hole available.
He was hit by the first attack due to the sudden change in target, but fortunately, his pants were still on, allowing him to preserve his innocence.
However, the impact was so strong that he heard his reinforced suit tear.
If he were pierced with that kind of force...
Feeling a fear far greater than the threat of death, Rio fled from the dicks.
“Aaaaagh! Seo Yeon-woo!! I’ll kill you!! I’ll definitely—what the hell is this now?!”
Rio shrieked as something consisting only of a lower body blocked his path.
It had no torso, but the cross-section wasn't gory with guts or blood; it was cut clean like marble. It wasn't gross in that sense, but something even more hideous was attached to the naked lower half.
As the lower body began to run, the hideously erect dick between its legs swung wildly as it charged toward Rio.
“Noooooo!!!”
Letting out a scream like a girl, Rio dodged the lower body’s attack and slipped past.
As he dodged, he felt something brush against his face, but Rio gritted his teeth and ran, brainwashing himself into believing it was just his imagination.
He couldn't get caught here. If he did, he’d just kill himself.
Behind him, dozens of Flying Dicks and dangling lower bodies were already in pursuit.
The facility’s corridors were made of steel on all sides, so the earth magic Rio had practiced so hard was useless.
He could create stones with mana if he wanted to, but the mana consumption would be too high.
He’d have to use it in a real emergency, but if he wasted his mana here, a future where he was messily violated by those hideous things was guaranteed.
“Now it’s tentacles?!”
When the most iconic of the 'Female Protagonist Harassment Trio' appeared, Rio screamed and transformed his stick into a sword, slicing through the tentacles.
They weren't just any tentacles; they were horrific ones with tips shaped exactly like a glans.
When he cut the tentacles, it wasn't blood that came out, but something white and...
“Aaaaagh!!”
It was incredibly sticky and even felt warm, but Rio rationalized it as 'white blood' and charged through the hellscape toward the control room.
Breaking through all sorts of nightmare creatures, Rio barely managed to protect his purity as he reached the control room and slammed the door shut.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
With the door blocked, the dicks outside began slamming their bodies against it, making a deafening noise.
They were hitting it so hard that the steel door dented with every thud, signaling that it wouldn't hold for long.
If he got hit by something like that...
Paralyzed with fear for a moment, Rio scrambled to unbuckle his bag and ran toward the machinery.
“Ugh, what is it? What do I turn on? No, no, no, what do I deactivate?!”
Standing before a complex machine covered in countless switches, Rio fumbled in a panic.
THUD! BANG! CRACK! BOOM!
With every loud noise, Rio’s trembling hands grew more frantic as he deactivated the defense system exactly as Yeon-woo had instructed.
“Why isn't it working?!”
Even though he had clearly done it right, there was no signal. Rio clutched his head and wailed in despair.
CRASH—!!
Finally, the steel door was ripped off its hinges, and the dicks poured into the control room like a flood.
“The mana stone!!”
Rio screamed, snatched the mana stone, and searched for the emergency charging port.
As he stood before the machine, dozens of dicks swarmed toward his back like a tidal wave, and Rio slammed the mana stone into the port as if trying to shatter it.