Harpy Hunt (1)
"Let's go."
At Jinwoo's curt command, Chiharu followed him without the slightest hesitation. Jinwoo opened a crimson summoning gateway on the basement floor once more, and the cool, dry air of his Magic Workshop flowed out from the other side. He stepped through the portal first, with Chiharu close behind. Aki and Koharu remained prostrate on the floor, unmoving, until their figures vanished completely into the swirling crimson vortex. Once the gateway sealed shut and silence returned to the basement, the two women slowly lifted their heads and met each other's gaze. There was no sisterly affection in their eyes anymore—only the raw jealousy and sense of crisis burning between females serving the same male.
That girl... has become Master's first blade.
Aki bit her lip. Not just a mere bitch in heat, but she's claimed the position of Master's hunting partner first. No. This won't do. I am the matriarch of this harem. When he returns... if that child proves her worth as a weapon, then I must prove my value as a female, as the caretaker of this temple. Using my body, my skills, and this entire household... I must imprint on him that I am far more useful, far more pleasing than her.
Was my faith... my service... not enough?
Pure despair bloomed in Koharu's heart. I was happy just worshiping at Master's feet... but Sister... she's gone off to fight alongside him. She's earned the right to stand at his side. I want... I want to be Master's tool too... to burn this body, this heart, everything for him...
She clenched her fists tight. The next opportunity would be hers, no matter what. To claim it, she had to become a more fanatical, devoted, and perfect shrine maiden than her sister.
Back in the Magic Workshop, Jinwoo was already fully geared for the hunt. A thick leather coat draped his frame, overlaid by an ominous cloak woven from hundreds of black crow feathers that shrouded his shoulders. His face was concealed behind a chilling plague doctor mask with its beak-like snout, topped by a sharply twisted leather hat pulled low. He was no longer an ordinary mage—he embodied the Crow Sorcerer, the prowler of nightmares who hunted monsters.
Without a word, he appraised Chiharu's body from head to toe, as if admiring a priceless work of art. Then he approached slowly, reaching behind her to trace his fingers along the long zipper of her suit, from the nape of her neck down to the cleft of her ass.
"Nnh...♡"
A moan escaped Chiharu's lips unbidden. His touch gliding over the latex felt more intense and lewd than bare skin ever could. Jinwoo seized her plump ass in a brutal grip. The high-quality latex yielded to his hand, molding perfectly and emitting a slick, frictional squelch.
"Master...♡"
"Hush... this is the pre-hunt ritual."
He pinned her against the wall, lifted her fox mask just enough, and claimed her lips. Her body, perfectly tamed by her master's touch, was already heating up. Only after toying with her thoroughly—confirming she was fully primed—did he lead her out of the workshop to the bedroom with the bed.
"To the bed. Hunts... always begin in bed."
He laid her on the mattress and settled beside her. Taking her hand, he channeled the Magic Grimoire's power. Their consciousnesses blurred, sucked into a cold, dark abyss.
"Ugh..."
Jinwoo regained awareness first. His nostrils filled with damp, chill air laced with musty earth, rotting bone, and a fishy tang. Faint groans and stifled sobs echoed around him. Opening his eyes, he beheld endless walls of human bones and skulls. Dim torches illuminated the terrified faces of dozens huddled in fear—the missing souls trapped in the Eternal Nightmare.
As he rose, the nearest man spotted him and gulped. His eyes widened in horror.
"Th-that... that appearance... the Crow... Crow Sorcerer...!"
The man's whisper spread like wildfire among the panicked survivors. All eyes locked on him: the pointed sorcerer's hat, the eerie plague mask, the cloak blacker than shadow. It was unmistakably the enigmatic figure from past nightmares who slaughtered monsters—a savior or another calamity, impossible to tell. His cloak's Perception Concealment spell hadn't fully activated yet, letting them clearly perceive his foreboding, overwhelming presence.
As awe and terror focused on him, a rustle sounded beside him. Another figure rose. The survivors' breaths caught.
There stood a woman with curves too voluptuous to seem human, clad head to toe in glossy black leather that obscenely accentuated every contour. A bewitching fox mask veiled half her face in mystery. In her hand, a black bow radiated ominous energy. She stirred indescribable emotions in the survivors. Men's eyes mixed fear with primal lust—the unreal body and outfit ignited base desires even amid death's terror. Women's gazes blended awe, envy, and disgust. No human woman should possess such a figure.
Amid the survivors' chaos, Jinwoo whispered lowly to his huntress.
"Now, your first hunt. Our prey... is crying out beyond that cave."
As he and Chiharu moved toward the cave mouth, the silent survivors snapped to life, surging forward in a desperate mob.
"Please... please save us!"
"Sorcerer! Don't abandon us! Outside is hell!"
Desperate pleas and wails erupted. Like pilgrims grasping at a messiah, they clawed for even the hem of his feather cloak. But in the pandemonium, a greasy-faced middle-aged man—oblivious to the situation—pushed forward, bellowing.
"You there! Halt!"
He wore expensive hiking gear, now filthied by dirt and fear.
"I'm Representative Kim Sweet of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea! You... you're Korean too, aren't you? As a citizen of this nation, protecting the powerless is your duty! Escort us to safety at once! This is the path of patriotism! That's an order!"
Korean. Duty. Patriotism.
Those words struck the raw nerve buried in Jinwoo's brain. Beneath the plague mask, an icy hatred colder than rage welled up—not fury, but frozen loathing. Flashes of a forgotten past surged: the frigid orphanage floor, called by number not name. Dragged to the army at adulthood under the banner of "sacred national duty." His sprained back dismissed as malingering by a contemptuous squad leader. Upon medical discharge, all he had was a lifelong herniated disc diagnosis and paltry compensation. The state gave him nothing—just used him when needed and discarded him like trash. And now, duty and patriotism?
Jinwoo halted at the fool's authoritative tone and slowly turned. The black voids of the plague mask's eyes fixed on the congressman.
That instant, amid the throng, one man's eyes gleamed with greed—not at Jinwoo, but at Chiharu's surreal curves beside him. Swollen breasts threatening to burst, cinched waist, sensuous hips and thighs. The black latex suit obscenely highlighted every swell.
This is... jackpot material! Look at that body... insane.
Fear mingled with uncontrollable lust. He slyly pulled out his smartphone.
Click!
The flash burst, the shutter echoing through the cave.
The air froze. Wails and shouts ceased as if lies. From behind Jinwoo's mask, pitch-black killing intent spread like a wave. Daring to ogle his possession, his bitch, with filthy desire—and record it without permission? Unforgivable rage surged.
"Huntress."
His voice, laced with murder like from hell's depths, rumbled low.
"Clear... the path."
"Yes, Master."
As Chiharu replied, the
hidden beneath her latex suit on her lower abdomen glowed crimson-black. Master's killing intent and command flowed through the seal, igniting the dormant onmyoji blood in her veins. Mana surged through her body, unleashing superhuman prowess far beyond mortal limits.
Her form shot forward like a black lightning bolt. She zeroed in on the man with the smartphone amid the crowd and swung her magic bow without mercy. The sturdy limb cleaved air like a club.
Crack!
A bone-shattering crunch echoed as the smartphone exploded into shards. The screen spiderwebbed; the battery sparked. The man screamed, rolling away with what felt like a broken wrist.
Chiharu didn't stop. She barreled through the obstructing crowd like clearing debris. Her soft-looking shoulders were steel-hard, her hands merciless. Grunts of "Urk!" and "Agh!" rang out as people scattered like autumn leaves. The congressman, cowed by her overwhelming aura, shrank back and yielded the path in terror.
In seconds, the way parted like the Red Sea.
Jinwoo strode silently along it. Chiharu followed half a step behind, a loyal guard dog. The cave survivors no longer dared approach. Their eyes held no hope of salvation—only primal fear of two transcendent predators beyond comprehension.
Leaving the wailing crowd behind, they emerged from the catacombs' darkness.
Humid, fetid air enveloped them. Before them stretched endless black swampland: ankle-deep cold muck, rotting plants and mud stench, and from afar... eerie singing and human screams.
Jinwoo peered through his mask into the swamp's distant gloom.
"Well, shall we begin?"