A Man and Woman Who Gain Magic Power from Lewd Acts (Revised) #1
A Man and Woman Who Gain Magic Power from Lewd Acts (Revised) #1
"Hey. I'm about to drop dead here. You wanna open your eyes sometime soon?"
"Eheheh..."
We'd walked a good stretch of the night streets away from the tavern and along Yoen-su, but Rebecca was still dead to the world.
She must've been having one hell of a pleasant dream, because every now and then she'd let out a sleepy little giggle against my back.
The plan was, the moment she woke up, I'd ask where she lived and walk her home.
At this rate, I was genuinely going to end up sharing a room tonight with this red-haired wench and her shitty drinking habits.
I'd brought her along because I couldn't just leave her there, but I wasn't happy about it.
The walk from the tavern to the inn was about thirty minutes on foot.
Thirty minutes, carrying another person on my back.
Way too steep a price for a few free drinks.
'She's not gonna wake up and puke in my room, is she?'
As if that wasn't enough, I was on edge, wondering what kind of drunken rampage she might pull in the middle of the night.
Honestly, if she hadn't been a party member I'd quested with before some bastard ditched us, I would've left her on the street without a second thought.
How could I abandon a super high-class beauty on the street, you ask?
Not my girlfriend. What's it to me?
On the brutal Midgard Continent, you treat women like rocks if you want to survive.
Unlike Earth, there are plenty of gold-diggers eyeing a man's wallet.
And among them, you've got the nutjobs who try to run game on an incubus.
'Booze, women, and gambling—stay on your guard. And of the three, women are the most dangerous.'
I decided to regard Rebecca as a rock.
Behind me, soft, squishy tits were pressing into my back, but I ignored them. The thighs I was holding up were smooth too, but I didn't let the temptation get to me.
My plan was clean and simple: let her sleep it off, then send her on her way.
But as I hurried toward the inn, I was forced to stop in my tracks.
Someone behind me was yelling at the top of their lungs.
"Hey! Blond dream demon! You look familiar—hold it right there!"
I glanced around. On this street, if you wanted a horned dream demon, I was the only one.
Starting off by shouting insults when you're trying to get someone's attention — did this guy not have a mother?
I scowled and glared at the person who'd called out to me, and almost immediately broke into a cold sweat. I recognized the face.
A big guy with gauntlets on both hands.
One of the members of that goblin-hunting party I'd run into at the city gate.
A party member of Neria's, the woman I'd had that run-in with a few days ago.
All of Neria's party members treated me like a bug they needed to squash.
Because they believed I'd tried to violate their leader, Neria.
In reality, the whole thing had been stirred up by Neria and her incubus-hating paranoia.
"Heh-heh. I knew I'd seen that face somewhere. It's the little dream demon bastard who pissed off our party leader."
"It's a misunderstanding. I never had any intention of laying a hand on Neria. That crazy bitch just went off on her own."
The guy with the gauntlets wasn't alone.
Next to him stood two beastmen—one with a dog's head and one with a wolf's head. I'd met them both a few days ago. Neria's other party members.
All three of them had spent hours chasing me in a fight that went on way too long.
"Woof-woof. I'm going to bite you to pieces, dream demon."
"Grrr. I'm curious what dream demon blood tastes like."
The three adventurers loosened up and slowly closed in on me.
I backed away, trying to clear up the misunderstanding through words first.
"No, I said it's a misunderstanding! This Neria woman—she's ugly as hell. Her face looks like a goddamn pumpkin. Even an incubus wouldn't touch a hag like that. Honestly, would any of you want to touch her? Put yourselves in my shoes. Try a little empathy here."
My wholehearted pitch must have gotten through, because the three adventurers hesitated.
Apparently those idiots agreed their party leader was a hag too.
"Our party leader's face is pretty busted!"
"I'll give you that. Woof-woof."
"Grrr-heh. Grrh-hah-hah-hah. Neria's ugly as all hell. Grr-hah-hah."
But the hesitation lasted only a moment.
Even though the misunderstanding seemed cleared up, the three adventurers didn't stop advancing on me. The gauntlet-wearing guy, who had the air of being the big brother of the group, wore a greasy grin as he spoke.
"Trouble is, doesn't change a thing. Neria promised the party a deal. Said she'd buy us all a huge round of drinks if we found you and crippled you. So, y'know. Take a beating for us."
"Ah, fuck."
Neria had put a bounty on me with her own party members.
In that case, trying to talk my way out of this had been pointless from the start.
I coldly analyzed the situation.
Three of them, and I was alone.
On top of that, I was carrying a drunk woman on my back. No way I could fight like this. Best option was to run and avoid a brawl.
'There should be a guard post somewhere around here.'
The city guard maintained stations all across Yoen-su's downtown.
Guards rotated roughly every two hours, keeping the city's peace twenty-four hours a day, day and night. Mediating private disputes between city residents—that was their job.
Of course, if residents agreed to settle things with a "duel," they wouldn't stop it.
But if one side was just getting pummeled one-sidedly? That was different.
If I explained the situation, the guards would chase the adventurers off.
Tap-tap!
I spun around fast and sprinted for the nearest guard post.
The shouts of the adventurers chasing me rang out behind.
"Catch that dream demon bastard!"
"Woof-woof-woof-woof!!"
"Grrrrr!!"
If I were alone, I could've shaken them off easily, just like a few days ago.
But I'd barely been running for a few minutes and I was already gasping for breath.
Carrying Rebecca on my back was shredding my stamina.
'Should I just dump her on the street and bolt?'
The temptation was there, but I thought better of it.
I'd chosen to take responsibility. I didn't feel like changing my mind now.
"Urgh... I feel sick."
Then, mid-sprint, the situation changed.
Rebecca, who'd been slumped on my back, had opened her eyes at some point.
All the jostling from the desperate sprint had finally shaken her awake.
The moment her eyes opened and she saw me tearing down the street like a madman, she freaked out.
"Wh-what the hell? Why am I on your back? Why are you running?!"
Anyone would be bewildered by this.
You fall asleep in a tavern, wake up, and somehow you're being carried piggyback through the night streets at a dead sprint by a party member.
Still running, I gave her the shortest possible real-time summary of what had happened.
"Huff... hah! Getting chased! Colleagues of the bitch who labeled me a rapist—they know it was a misunderstanding too, but they're trying to kill me for free drinks!"
"What the hell are you talking about, fuck!"
Ahem. I was way too out of it to explain properly.
But how clear-headed do you expect a guy to be when he's sprinting for his life by the skin of his teeth?
I should've just kept my mouth shut and run in the first place.
Because I was too distracted answering her to notice the chunk of rock in the middle of the road.
"Ack!"
"Gyak!"
I didn't look where I was going, tripped on the rock, and went down hard. Obviously, Rebecca, who'd been on my back, went tumbling across the cobblestones right alongside me.
I scrambled to get up, but it was already too late.
The dogged adventurers had caught up to me.
The gauntlet guy and the two beastmen surrounded us where we'd fallen, forming a tight encirclement.
I was trapped, helpless, in their hunting formation.
"Gotcha at last, dream demon scum! Heh-heh!"
I could see the greasy smile spreading across the gauntlet-wearing man's face.
The moment I was caught, I instinctively shrank back.
I didn't know about the two beastmen, but I knew a little something about this guy.
Before he was Neria's party member, he'd built a solid reputation among the Bronze Tier adventurers.
Meaning not all Bronze adventurers are the same level of trash.
'Iron Fist Rotton.'
That was his nickname in the adventurer business.
Adventurers on the continent earned nicknames from the Minstrel Guild based on their exploits. When bards composed poems and songs about an adventurer, referring to them by a title rather than a plain name stirred the medieval spirit more effectively.
'Among Yoen-su's adventurers, there is a man called Rotton.'
Instead of a line like that,
'Among Yoen-su's adventurers, there is a man called Iron Fist Rotton.'
is far more stirring, or so they say.
Adventurers and minstrels have a mutually beneficial relationship. Adventurers gain fame through the minstrels' poems and songs, and the minstrels earn coin selling works about the adventurers.
So adventurers tend to accept the nicknames the Minstrel Guild gives them.
Well, if the nickname's too weird, some will show up at the guild to complain.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Here's the point.
Adventurers with nicknames possess some kind of standout strength worth talking about.
Among the Bronze Tier, you could treat a man like Rotton as a "named" threat.
Iron Fist Rotton.
An adventurer who made his name by crushing goblin skulls with his steel-gauntleted fists.
Continentals go wild for martial artists who brawl with their bare knuckles like macho heroes.
I was confident in a fistfight myself, but I didn't want to pick a fight with a nicknamed adventurer for no reason.
A beating was guaranteed.
And the clinics around here were rip-offs—the medical bills would wreck me.
I was racking my brain for some way to avoid a fight when Rebecca spoke up.
She'd managed a breakfall while tumbling and was completely unharmed.
When I saw her flip and land earlier, I thought I was watching a circus act.
"So basically, that iron-fist guy, the dog-head, and the wolf-head are trying to kill you."
"That's the gist of it. This doesn't involve you. If I talk to them right, they might just let you go."
Now that she'd woken up, Rebecca's tone had returned to normal—she'd sobered up somewhat. Now that she could think rationally, she'd know ditching me was the smart play.
And from what I was hearing, Rotton seemed willing to let Rebecca walk.
"You there, red-haired miss. Don't know what you are to the blond dream demon, but step aside if you don't want to get hurt. We're only here to tune him up."
But even though Rotton gave her an opening, Rebecca, for some reason, didn't leave my side. She just stood there, lost in thought for a moment, then spoke to me.
"Hey, I've got a question. Why were you carrying me?"
In the middle of a crisis and suddenly, this question.
I kept my answer short.
"If I left you at the tavern, it'd be dangerous. Someone could've hurt you or stolen your wallet. I was going to take you to my room and wait until you sobered up."
"So you were trying to protect me?"
Her question, coming out of nowhere, caught me off guard.
"'Protect' sounds way too cringey, so let's just say I was looking out for you."
"What's the difference between protecting someone and looking out for them?"
"It's all about the nuance, you know? The nuance."
After hearing my answer, Rebecca stood up as if she'd just made a decision. Before I knew it, she had raised both fists toward the adventurers surrounding me. She was bouncing on her feet, throwing feints like a boxer, ready to attack. Rebecca suddenly striking a fighting stance baffled both me and the three adventurers.
Rotton furrowed his brow and spoke to her.
"Red-haired girl. I told you to scram. You deaf?"
"I can hear just fine. Truth is, I was planning on leaving, but that's not an option anymore. Repaying any debt you owe is the teaching of my master. In short, you're all fucked."
"Wh-what? Fucked?"
Rebecca kept up her fighting pose, taunting them by wagging a finger. Rotton and the beastmen flushed at the red-haired beauty's crude speech.
"Bring it, you sons of bitches."
"You fucking cunt!"
A thick tension flowed between Rebecca and Rotton's gang, a fight ready to break out at any second. This was exactly what people meant by a hair-trigger situation, but as the one who sparked it all, I just felt awkward.
'I was planning to look for an opening and run away again anyway.'
Even with Rebecca, it was still two against three; we were outnumbered. With no chance of winning and no desire to get hurt, I still had no intention of facing Rotton's gang head-on. But the shit hit the fan before I could even bring up running.
"Hyahp!"
"Grrrrrl!"
Rebecca charged at the wolf beastman who had us surrounded.
"Th-that's dangerous!"
I panicked watching Rebecca start a fight with the wolf beastman. The opponent was a beastman, with baseline physical abilities leagues beyond humans. No matter how agile she was, a slender girl was no match for a guy like that.
But the moment their fists crossed, I changed my mind.
THWACK!
In the blink of an eye, Rebecca had caught the wolf beastman square in the jaw. The wolf beastman had also taken a swing at her, but his claws just raked through the air. Stumbling from the jaw shot, the wolf beastman was met with a flurry of punches from Rebecca. BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM! Her fists pummeled his vital spots—solar plexus, abdomen, bridge of the nose, windpipe, ribs. Each blow, driven with genuine killing intent in a rapid combination, drew a yelp of agony from the wolf beastman. Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn't believe it was real.
'A kid who totally sucked against monsters beats the hell out of a person like that?'
The wolf beastman, getting worked over helplessly, cried out for help from his comrades who were just standing there gawking at Rebecca's prowess.
"H-help me, grrrrk! This bitch's fists are fucking brutal!"
"Woof woof woof woof!"
The dog beastman joined the fight. Only after two beastmen started clawing at her in tandem did Rebecca's offensive finally slow. Yet even in the middle of a bare-knuckle brawl with the two of them, she calmly dodged or deflected their attacks. It was astonishing how she kept sneaking in punches whenever she saw an opening, racking up the damage.
'She's holding the advantage against two Bronze Tier beastman adventurers? In a fistfight, no less?'
Rebecca had left her main weapon, the curved blade, back at the inn because of the after-party. If she'd brought that sword, wouldn't she have already sliced and diced two beastmen by now? Against monsters, she's a total newbie, but when it comes to fighting people, she's giving off serious veteran vibes.
"You useless shits can't even take down one girl!"
Rotton snapped at the beastmen fighting Rebecca. Even seeing Rebecca's phenomenal fighting skills—worthy of an adventurer with his own nickname—he wasn't intimidated.
"Help us, Rotton bro!"
Hearing the dog beastman's cry, Rotton clicked his tongue and moved to ambush Rebecca from behind. I frowned, watching Rotton go after her exposed back. Even for Rebecca, taking on three at once is too much.
'I don't want her getting hurt and racking up medical bills.'
Still, I can't just run away like a coward while a girl does all the fighting. I stepped in front of Rotton as he approached Rebecca. This was my cue to step up.
"What's this? The guy who kept running like a rat is suddenly ready to throw down?"
Rotton stared at me, blocking his path, his eyes blazing. I just smirked and opened my mouth. No need to use honorifics with the guy I'm about to fight.
"Wow, mister, your tongue just doesn't quit, does it? Maybe the Minstrel Guild gave you the wrong nickname? Instead of Iron Fist, they should've called you Blabbermouth Rotton."
"You done flapping your gums, you damn incubus?! How dare you insult my proud nickname!"
"Shut up and fight."
Rotton's eyes rolled back in rage, and he launched a punch with his gauntleted fist. Let me be clear: I've never trained in martial arts like Rebecca. I left my crossbow at the inn, and the magic I've learned isn't practiced enough for a real fight yet. But if I'm willing to accept a beating, there's one thing that can be a powerful weapon for me.
'The muscles I was born with.'
Born as a blonde-tanned man, my body is abnormally muscular compared to most. By Earth standards, it's a monster physique that could pull off a 1,500-pound powerlifting total. On par with a famous pro wrestler like John Cena. Maybe it's a divine revelation telling me to NTR other men's women with brute force. When hunting monsters, I hang back and plink away with my crossbow because getting injured is a loss, but when it's a life-or-death bare-knuckle brawl, it's a different story.
I raised my arms to guard, blocking Rotton's iron punch. Seeing me take the heavy blow head-on like a Chad, Rotton's expression twisted into something ironic. His gaze was locked onto my bulging arm muscles.
"For a chronic masturbator, you're pretty solid inside! Just how many times a day do you jerk it for your arms to get that damn thick? If you were human, your bones would've rotted away by now."
"It's real muscle, not a jack-off arm!"
Now, with his stance broken after throwing that punch, was my chance to counterattack.
"Nngh."
The forearm that took the iron punch hurt like hell, almost enough to bring tears, but I grit my teeth and endured. I dropped my guard and grabbed Rotton's gauntlet-clad arm with both hands. He looked baffled seeing me grip the iron gauntlet hard enough to crush it.
"What the hell kind of stupid stunt is this?! You planning to smash an iron gauntlet with grip strength?! I guess it figures for a race with nothing but mating on the brain!"
Rotton slammed his free left fist into me. Each cold iron punch hitting my body hurt enough to make me scream. But I held firm, dug my feet in, and braced myself. Gripping the gauntlet, I widened my stance on the ground. The second I poured power into my lower body, my calves swelled up as if they were about to burst.
"Gah! Let go, damn it!"
It was just moments before Rotton tried to bring his iron fist down on the top of my head.
"As you wish!"
"What?!"
With every ounce of my strength, I swung Rotton's gauntleted arm in a horizontal arc. In that moment, centrifugal force took over—the arm inside the gauntlet, and Rotton's body attached to that arm, went flying through the air. Even I had to admit it was a spectacular sight, seeing a big man get swung around midair like a toy.
"Holy shit! Luke, you're strong as hell!"
"R-Rotton bro!"
Rebecca and the beastmen, locked in their own fierce brawl, stopped for a moment to stare slack-jawed at this side. The citizens of Yoen-su, who had gathered to watch the fight, were also standing with their mouths hanging open.
CRACK!
The rotational force twisted Rotton's arm at a grotesque angle.
"AAAAAAARRRRGGGHH!!"
After one full rotation, I let go and hurled Rotton. He flew through the sky, slammed into the dirt, and blood started gushing from his cracked head. Rotton lost consciousness and didn't so much as twitch anymore. A victory born of pure muscle.
"Huff, huff."
I'd pushed myself too hard and collapsed to the ground for a while, gasping for air. The spots on my body where Rotton had pummeled me were already bruised black and blue. His punches were as vicious as you'd expect from a named Bronze adventurer with his own nickname.
I was planning to catch my breath and then jump in to help Rebecca. But in that short time, she had already cleanly knocked out the beastmen.
'She won her fight, too.'
A human girl had beaten two beastmen to a pulp with her bare fists. Seeing that, I realized Rebecca was no ordinary newbie adventurer. But it seemed like she was just as surprised, seeing me in a new light.
"Hey, you're pretty good? All you did at the lakeside was whine, but you've got a tough side, huh?"
"I'm a guy who can step up when it counts."
"Couldn't you just quit magic and make a living as a warrior? Your strength is no joke."
"If I fight on the front line, I'd get hurt. Health is the most important thing. If I became a cripple, there's no one to take care of me."
"Hmm... No family, huh? That's a shame."
Learning that I was an orphan with no one to rely on, Rebecca seemed to understand, at least a little, why I was so cautious about my own skin. With the alcohol completely burned off during the fight, Rebecca was moving around perfectly sober now. There was no longer any reason for me to be looking out for this girl. We'd successfully beaten Rotton's gang, and it was time to go our separate ways.
"We've taken care of those annoying bastards, so let's both head home. Unless you're going to tell me you need me to walk you to your door?"
"I can go by myself. I'm good at beating people up."
It looked like this red-haired girl had zero need for an escort. What kind of protection does a girl who takes down beastmen with her bare hands need? Honestly, I'd rather be the one being protected.
"We work out of the same Guild, so I'm sure we'll see each other again. See you around, Luke."
Rebecca waved her hand and coolly turned to leave the main avenue. But she was so blasé about it that I had no choice but to stop her.
"Hold up. You can't just leave like that. Do you even know the basics of being an adventurer?"
"The basics of being an adventurer? Going on adventures?"
"Wrong. After a fight, you've gotta loot. Take anything that looks like it's worth money from those beastmen you beat up."
"Ah... I forgot."
Only after I pointed it out did Rebecca come back and start awkwardly rummaging through the beastmen's pockets. Watching her continue to act like a clueless newbie adventurer was just... exciting.
'This is practically an adult video.'
I averted my gaze and started searching Rotton's fallen body for anything of value.