Elena Ru
31.
“...Damn it. And they're not even a major corporation...”
The sniper ducked under the desk as Garam shoved his way into the hideout.
Even at a glance, the enemy was at least a B-class Keeper. A physical enhancement type, no less. An ordinary person could never win a one-on-one against someone like that.
I need to run...
But the spot Garam had come through was already the secret passage the sniper had prepared in advance. There was nowhere left to escape. Heading for the entrance would only mean others were waiting—anyone blocking a retreat would never leave the front door open.
Still, I have to thrash around a little. If I'm ending up behind bars either way, whether I get caught or not.
Click.
The sniper slammed a magazine into his pistol. Ten rounds total. It was a gamble that could pay off big. A-class Keeper or B-class, a bullet to the head killed them the same.
But the sniper's thoughts flipped in an instant.
“If you come out quietly, I'll spare your life.”
The sniper smelled death in Garam's voice. It was the unmistakable tone of a man who had killed people—intentionally, deliberately.
Shit... If I screw this up, I die.
If he'd known it would turn out like this, he never would have taken the job. He'd accepted because it was a request to kill an F-class Keeper from some mid-sized crew, but they were clearly bigger than he'd imagined.
The sniper had heard the rumors that GGC would soon become a major corporation, but “will become a major corporation” and “is a major corporation” were as different as heaven and earth. Besides, depending on the research results they might never make it that far, so there was nothing to fear.
In the end, the prior investigation had shown the target was a genuine greenhorn F-class Keeper. But when he opened the lid, the request had failed. He'd only received half the money, and now the crew was hunting him down, closing in for the capture.
Finding a sniper-using killer in Korea was relatively easy—but only relatively. It wasn't something a crew without connections and skill, meaning anything short of a major corporation, could pull off. That they had managed it meant GGC was already a major corporation. Scale and reputation would catch up soon enough.
No way out.
“I surrender. I surrender. I'll cooperate with the investigation too.”
The sniper tossed the gun aside and slowly rose with both hands raised.
“Smart choice. I'll really spare only your life.”
The words were chilling. The sniper had assumed he'd simply end up behind bars, but apparently that wasn't the plan.
...Still better than dying, I guess.
As a man who killed others, he had naturally prepared himself for death. But precisely because he was a man who killed others, he hated dying even more. He knew too well what death actually was.
There is something called Hell Week. In Korea they call it Hell Week too. Among special forces training methods, it is the one that deliberately drives a human being to the absolute limit for a set period of time. Once you pass it, they say every other hardship feels trivial and your confidence soars.
I survived Hell Week—this much is nothing. That kind of mindset.
For the past week, I had unknowingly lived through my own Hell Week. Exercise, sex, exercise, sex—an endless loop. And sprinkled in between, the mana charging that drove me half insane.
I never imagined I would exercise this much in my entire life, nor that I would ever think of sex as something I could get sick of. The mana charging had been hard from the start and was still hard. It felt like I was rewriting my limits every single second.
Three things kept me going through this Hell Week.
First: the drugs. Without them I would have collapsed long ago. The stamina potions made from troll blood worked like some kind of aphrodisiac; my lower half kept producing sperm without end.
Second: the results.
◈ Trait:Gate Keeper (EX)
◈ Skills:Summon Gate (SS, Beginner), Otherworld Residence Contract (A, Proficient)
In the past week my potential had risen by one, and every physical stat had gone up by one. Magic Power had also climbed by one. Incredible progress. Normally you only gained one or two points a month.
Third: the time limit. If it hadn't been a relatively short week, I never would have lasted. Exercise and sex I could probably force myself through for a full month with drugs. My mind would fray, but it wouldn't break—and the people around me wouldn't let it break either. But the mana charging hurt not just my spirit but my actual brain. My head throbbed without warning, constantly. Keira said it was a side effect of excessive mana use. Because it wasn't real physical pain, drugs did nothing. So my Magic Power stat rose, and so did my irritation. Keira patiently absorbed every bit of that irritation like an angel.
Rest was the only real solution, yet rest was impossible. Elena would die without the charging.
Still, tomorrow I could open the return Gate. Then things would ease up. Honestly, that was the only thing keeping me going.
Beep-beep.
The alarm went off. That time again. I stopped running on the treadmill.
“What? Already? Hmm... can't you do it while running?”
“...Say something that actually makes sense.”
“Sorry, sorry. Just kidding, just kidding.”
I knew it was a joke. But with the irritation piled so high, I couldn't play along. Nayeon must have sensed it; thankfully she backed off right away.
“Here.”
Elena approached and held out a towel. I wiped away the sweat pouring like rain, then caught her hand.
“I'll do it.”
“...Yes.”
A soft kiss on the back of her hand, then the transfer of mana and magic power toward Elena—that part was easy now. But what came after still refused to obey my will. I still had to guide the magic power with my hands. Meaning my hands had to touch her arms, her shoulders, her chest.
“...Ah.”
Elena let out a tiny moan. I knew exactly what that felt like. I felt it every single night. At first it had even been a little exciting. If she kept feeling that way, maybe she'd grow attached and decide to stay in this world. For a brief moment I'd spun a harem fantasy. Keira's presence made me censor myself, but a man can still dream, right?
Now I thought nothing at all. Any thought only bred more irritation, so I simply stopped thinking. If I considered it carefully, her staying brought me no benefit. Imagining the charging period stretching from one week to one full year was pure horror.
I finished as fast as possible and pulled away from Elena.
“Hah... thank you.”
She offered a polite bow, cheeks faintly flushed. Even her breathing was a little unsteady. Lately it seemed the one receiving the charge looked more exhausted than the one giving it.
“Don't mention it. Just one more left. Hang in there a little longer.”
“...Yes.”
By feel, one more charge would finish it. I thought she'd be happy, yet her expression looked almost shocked. Why?
“Ugh.”
“Are you all right?”
“Ah, I'm fine. Fine. Hoo...”
I was not fine. My head hurt. Better not to think.
“All right, back to training. That's the best thing right now.”
I nodded and started running on the treadmill again like a machine. Moving my body exactly as Nayeon instructed, without a single thought—that was the best coping method I had left.
Thump-thump.
Elena tried to calm her racing heart. After every charge she ended up like this. By now the pleasure should have become familiar, yet instead it only grew fresher and more intense with each day. If she hadn't wrung every drop of willpower to endure, collapsing into climax right there during the charging would have been no difficult feat.
Even that willpower was reaching its limit. A few more charges and her reason would no longer be able to restrain her lust. Fortunately, the end of the charging period was finally in sight.
Just once more...
Just once more and she could return to her original world. A safe world where she need not risk climaxing in front of others. A comfortable world where she could feel the presence of Ru, god of mercy and love. A peaceful world without a racing heart or touches that made her flutter.
A single tear rolled down.
Huh...?
Elena hurriedly wiped her cheek. It was a tear.
Why?
Before the thought could continue she left the training room. She could not let anyone see tears whose meaning even she did not understand.
Why?
There were plenty of reasons. First, the pleasure would disappear. This was a level of pleasure she had never tasted in her entire life. After experiencing something like this, could she ever enjoy an ordinary life again? Even beyond the realm of pleasure, Elena had almost never felt an experience this intense—perhaps when she became the Thirteenth Sword, or once or twice during the grueling training to become a sword. The fact that she had several comparable intense experiences at all was itself a testament to how fully she had lived.
In any case, this pleasure was on the same level as the day she became the Thirteenth Sword. It was only natural that she would develop feelings for Jungmin. His face was decently handsome, and in a single week his body had grown solid. In this world he was the only man—no, the only person—with whom she could truly converse. Keira did not always maintain the translation magic, citing mana shortage. And with that person she was forced into skinship every hour. The skinship was not unpleasant; the moment contact began, pleasure surged like madness. It would have been stranger if feelings had not formed.
Elena knew what this emotion was. She might have been a virgin, but she had experienced unrequited love before. And now, after just one more time, she would have to part from that person. Tears flowing was the most natural reaction in the world.
Pull yourself together. It's only a temporary feeling anyway.
Elena was thirty. She might not have been through every possible hardship, but she had certainly weathered enough of life's storms. When she was appointed the Thirteenth Sword, how long had that elation lasted? A year? A month? No—not even a week. After a week everything became familiar again, and it all turned back into nothing special.
Her instincts screamed that she should seize this man, but her reason issued a warning.
If you seize him? How long do you think it will last? A month at most. Are you going to abandon the Sword of Ru for a single month?
Elena was a Sword of Ru. Found on a battlefield, she had survived only by Ru's grace. She had lived her entire life to become Ru's Sword, had become Ru's Sword, and had even earned a measure of recognition as one. Even if she generously assumed she could abandon being Ru's Sword, the most critical problem remained.
In this world she could not feel Ru's presence. The absurdly intense pleasure had scrambled her mind, but right now she felt profoundly empty. The presence of Ru that had accompanied her whole life was gone. After a month passed and the pleasure grew familiar, would she be able to endure that emptiness? As a war orphan, the respect and love of so many people had been possible only because of Ru. Could she live without that Ru?
Impossible.
She could not throw away thirty years of life for a mere month. She could not throw away the next thirty years either.
Just once more. Endure just once more and everything will return to normal.
The regret would linger thickly. Back in Keruon she would feel dazed for a while. She might even chase pleasure and fall into corruption. But there, Ru would be waiting. The Ru who protected Elena.
“May I speak with you for a moment?”
“(...Lady Keira?)”
Just as Elena had finally steadied her heart again, Keira appeared before her.