The Price (3)
Every crystal recording other than mine was perfectly intact. The only activity they captured was Elena training. There were no special scenes—just light back massages and bird kisses that came close to kisses. “Kim Jinwu…! You win only against me, and lose to Elena…?”
I poured mana into the Void Stone all day long, yet it never shattered. I still hadn’t filled Elena’s one-time quota. A mere 2-Star player couldn’t possibly beat an 8-Star player. From my perspective, it didn’t matter—I could always adjust the scope of my Submission Oath anyway. It was nothing more than a playful wager.
The moment Elena won the bet, she made her wish. The broken crystal must have contained her request, but the shattering had prevented her from seeing it. “What kind of wish…? What did she wish for…?”
My mind spun in endless loops. Because I hadn’t witnessed it, I filled the gaps with pure imagination. The soft kisses they’d shared last time overlapped with my own memories. I watched them whisper sweet nothings while trading those kisses. Yu Dahui confirmed the Mana Oath was still active. After a long pause, she finally spoke.
“…What did you wish for with Jinwu?”
“A wish?”
Elena shot Yu Dahui a sharp glance and shook her head. She wasn’t telling. “It’s nothing special.”
And she flashed a playful smile—the kind of service she could offer Yu Dahui. Through the Intuition of the Seer, Yu Dahui already read every truth in Elena’s heart. It really was nothing. From Elena’s point of view, the wish was utterly trivial.
—Please give me an massage for even just one minute every single day. But Yu Dahui’s imagination ran wild. She pictured Elena’s face flushed red, eyes brimming with moisture, as she tore open every gift Elena had offered. While she felt her own panties grow slick, Yu Dahui bowed her head in shame. Elena felt the same warm thrill she’d known when she first won the knightly tournament. This victory as a woman was far sweeter.
“I’ll be going.”
As Elena stepped out of the room, Yu Dahui sat there, lost in her fantasies. Her small hand trembled helplessly—she couldn’t even touch herself. Knowing how pitiful it was to live without that release only made Elena’s heart ache for her. And yet, she felt no disgust, only pure joy.
“Relationships between men and women really are fascinating.”
***
Elena arrived at the teleport gate on the second floor, which had been abandoned for centuries. The facilities on the first and second floors were so poor that no one from the upper layers ever bothered to descend. With no players using the gate, its decay was inevitable.
“Still alive, huh?”
Elena placed her hand on the gate.
> [5,000,000,000 COINS]
> 2nd Floor to 7th Floor — 10 billion coins per skipped layer
Crossing the blue portal, the world flipped instantly. To an elf, it was simply the sky of a strange city welcoming her back.
“Anyone here?”
The gate sat on the rooftop of the tallest building in the seventh floor. The streets below were already overrun by monsters; this structure was the only safe zone. And it was enormous—fifty floors of high-rises. With so few players, there was plenty of room to breathe.
Elena stood on the roof, gazing down at the empty roads. Cars sped across them, but every vehicle was a monster.
“It’s been a while.”
She remembered the days when she hunted here—rising to 8-Star, challenging boss monsters, the endless failed attempts, the companions who fell one by one. “It was so hard back then…”
Repeated failure had nearly broken her. She decided to take a short break before descending to the academy to meet other elves again.
Years had passed.
“And this is where I ended up.”
Elena raised her hand. The moment her mind touched on Kim Jinwu, a violet pattern bloomed across her lower abdomen.
Creak—
The rooftop door opened. A woman had come to check the new arrivals.
“Who climbed up…? Miss Elena?!”
The newcomer’s eyes lit up the instant she recognized her. Elena was, without a doubt, the most reliable asset on this floor. But her real reason for being here had nothing to do with clearing the seventh floor.
“Hikari.”
“Elena-nim, long time no see! Have you finally hardened your heart?”
“Nothing like that.”
Hikari, dressed as a shrine maiden, greeted her with a bright smile. Simply knowing they were both still alive brought Elena’s chest tight.
“Then? If it’s not for clearing the floor, why did you come up?”
“I want to learn from you.”
Hikari’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.
“From me? Elena-nim wants to learn something from me? I’ll tell you right away—what do you want to know? Anti-possession? Barrier magic?”
“…That, it was a long time ago and you told me….”
Elena’s mind drifted back. The conversation they’d shared while climbing floors together. The memories were vague, only fragments remaining.
“Shrine maidens can strengthen men’s power, right?”
“That’s correct. Originally there were many monsters in this world. We comforted those who lost their precious people to them.”
The Murim dimension, the heart of the entire world. The shrine maidens of this island nation had lived exactly like that.
“How?”
“Just a moment. I’ll show you.”
With those words, Hikari began untying her belt. Her robes loosened with a soft rustle.
“W-why are you suddenly taking your clothes off?”
“Huh? Ah, this way I can explain better. Of course, you probably won’t be able to follow right away.”
Hikari’s breasts, tightly bound with white cloth, spilled out as she loosened the fabric. The sheer volume was so overwhelming that even Elena had to lower her gaze.
Hikari began kneading them gently, as if wringing out milk. A thick, white liquid squirted out in a powerful arc.
Elena muttered, dazed, “Milk…?”
“That’s right. After feeding with milk, you touch their genitals. It’s already enough comfort for men.”
“Can you really get strong just from receiving comfort like that? How exactly does it make you stronger?”
“Milk contains spirit qi at an extremely dense concentration. Based on you, it’s overflowing with mana.”
By now Elena had already understood the principle. Mana exchange. The Void Stone could grow in the same way. She had come here seeking something beyond that, only to find herself completely sidetracked.
Elena suddenly remembered the conversation from that awkward time.
—There are many kinds of pleasure. It’s not just your own. By watching a man reach climax, I feel satisfied too. Wouldn’t it be nice for you to comfort sad men? I’m sure it’ll be a pleasant experience.
Hikari had said it all so naturally.
Hikari was missing just one little screw in her head. The sheer variety of values across dimensions, countries, and regions had created such a result.
“When a man releases semen while drinking milk, the spirit qi circulates inside his body. Diluted within the male physique, it can bring about enormous improvements depending on the difference between men and women.”
“…I understand.”
The faint memory had led her to this? Elena couldn’t hide her shock.
“Elena-nim, don’t worry. You thought that since milk only comes out when pregnant, it’s impossible, right?”
“That’s not true?”
Even though it really wasn’t, Hikari refused to believe her. She had already made up her mind and was offering her secret.
“You can produce milk without getting pregnant. We have mana manipulation. Follow the method I’m about to teach you, and even a virgin like you can squirt milk….”
“Enough. I’m going back.”
“You have no idea how much men love milk, do you? It’ll be great preparation for your future boyfriend or husband.”
Elena, who had been about to leave, froze in place.
Boyfriend? Husband? “H-how…?” Tell me already.
Elena returned after taking a full 10 billion coin lactation lecture.
***
Training continued without pause. Every day they repeated emptying and refilling. A tiny increase in her mana total was already noticeable.
├─ Tier 1: Basic control ✓
├─ Tier 2: Advanced circulation ✓
└─ Tier 3: Mana Flow — UNLOCKED ★
The growth rate was faster than expected.
“Why is that? Do you know anything?”
While kneading Elena’s shoulders, I asked. I was curious whether her muscles could relax under my strength, but since I had lost the bet, I had no choice but to keep going.
“My mana stored in the Void Stone is being absorbed by you.”
“Absorbed?”
“Every time I inject mana into the Void Stone and retrieve it, a microscopic amount leaks to you. At your level, even that tiny amount contains enormous power.”
“Ah….”
I remembered reading about it. Joining a guild provided such conveniences, which was why the difference between receiving or rejecting an academy guild offer was so huge.
“Why didn’t I remember that?”
I had read it dozens of times in the military, before enlisting, even before the series finished. So early details should have been crystal clear. But those memories were already fading.
“Half a year since I was summoned to the Tower of Struggle… I haven’t read this novel in ages.”
Small details were vanishing. I still remembered major events and characters clearly, but I leaned too heavily on Elena and Airi, so I was forgetting faster than I should.
“What’s wrong? Why the sudden stop? Did I move you?”
When my hand paused, Elena turned around.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I replied, letting out a soft chuckle as I patted her shoulder. “You said one minute would be fine. Today’s enough, right?”
“Ah….”
Elena stood from her chair with obvious reluctance, though her ears were still flushed red.
I grabbed the Void Stone. While I massaged her, her mana was already full. I pushed it inside.
The mana I had accumulated gradually flowed out. A blue glow wrapped the stone. Sweat poured like rain. The Void Stone grew heavier with each exchange. I finally understood how precious mana really was.
During the lull, Elena murmured, “But do you know any training method more efficient than this?”
“Eh?”
Was there such a method? I tried to recall novel knowledge, but nothing came to mind.
“What is it? Tell me.”
Elena hesitated, cheeks burning, ears scarlet, neck flushed. She had never been this aroused before. The thought crossed my mind that something serious might be happening.
“Elena, are you okay? You look awful.”
“Drop it. I’m not telling.”
After wrestling with her conscience, she simply refused to speak. She had offered a more efficient method, then changed her mind and walked away.
“Hey! Tell me what the method is. I’ll extract it from you before you use a command.”
“How do you know I’d do that just because it’s pretty?”
“No, I’m not doing it.”
“Hurry up. Using a command?”
“Use it.”
Elena turned her head away in a huff. The way she refused to speak told me everything.
Naturally, I stepped closer. I began kneading her shoulders again. Her ears twitched, responding to every touch.
“Elena, tell me before you go find Elisha right now.”
“Trash brat.”
“Trash is our nickname, isn’t it? It doesn’t hurt, right?”
“Trash!”
I pulled her closer while rubbing her arm and sat her back down, patting her shoulder. Elena let out a soft snort.
“Ah, ah….”
“Does it hurt?”
“It’s not pain….”
There was no actual pain, yet her voice trembled with unmistakable excitement. “What scent is this…?”
The sweet, intoxicating aroma rose from near her chest. My sensitive sense of smell caught it instantly. When I looked closely, the fabric of Elena’s blouse was growing damp around her breasts.