Chapter 58
**CHAPTER 19: No One Gets Scammed (1)**
Regress again three times in a row from the exact same spot. That means this is the fourteenth loop.
Yu Dahui stood frozen for a second, then quickly read the situation. The starting point had changed. Anyone who thought about it for even a moment would understand. Zip. Kinda absurd, huh?
The eyes shining with lust, the ironclad resolve, and that sticky, dripping sex. Yu Dahui bit, sucked, and licked at me like she never wanted to let go. The more she came, the stronger the intoxication grew, until she passed out mid-fuck like last time in the previous previous previous loop.
Why did I regress?
I left the hut and regressed not long after. I definitely hadn’t gone out alone beyond First City at night, so I must have triggered the Blessing of Suicide inside the safe zone after completing whatever I set out to do. Even if Yu Dahui knew me better than anyone, she still couldn’t read my exact thoughts right now, so the frustration never quite went away.
Before we left, Elena gave Elysha a simple warning. She wasn’t coming along herself, for the princess’s growth and all that.
“Shall we?” Yu Dahui led the party with refreshing energy. Every so often her gaze at Elena sharpened, but Elena just brushed it off indifferently. Her movements looked light, like her condition was good. At this point, the vibrator was off, after all.
Yu Dahui walked ahead. Because she knew the way, the pace was surprisingly fast.
“Da, Dahui! It’s dangerous—go slower!”
“Oh! Sorry.” Elysha, who had been chasing me like she was running, tried to calm Yu Dahui down. She understood her urge to skip, but as a regressor, you had to look after your companions. Until the no-mercy round, you kept carrying them.
We arrived at First City faster than expected. Elena didn’t say a word when she saw the speed. After confirming the Safe Zone message, we found the hut we’d be staying in.
Yu Dahui quietly pressed herself against my side.
“Shouldn’t we… sleep together?”
“Huh?”
“I don’t mind sharing a room with you… I really don’t.” It sounded like she’d gathered every ounce of courage to say it, and her cheeks were flushed red. Sharing a bed and sleeping together carried completely different weight. The difference was night and day. It was embarrassing.
“I don’t mind either. Not at all…” I had to push her away a little. We’d only known each other for a month, after all.
Her eyes trembled at my awkward expression. She knew the depth of my feelings was different from what she assumed, and that would hurt her. As a regressor, this was a wound she had no choice but to endure.
That’s why it works.
The flimsy “I saw the future in the previous loop” excuse had gained credibility because of how desperate she was.
“Ah, haha… I feel a little burdened?”
“It’s not burdensome. It’s just… who knows how long we’ll be here? We’re basically half-cohabiting.”
“…Do you not want to?” Yu Dahui looked at me carefully. Mild Yu Dahui didn’t have the power to make you refuse her.
“Dahui, if you don’t care…”
“What, you don’t care?”
“Huh?”
“Then I’ll assume we’re sleeping together?”
As soon as she heard the answer she wanted, her attitude flipped. The pitiful, trembling eyes that looked like they might start crying vanished somewhere.
Why, why… Where did mild Yu Dahui go, and why is the lewd smiling spicy Yu Dahui here?
The moment I saw the corners of her mouth curling into a grin, I realized I had fallen into the devil’s trap. I’d bitten the bait. You little weakling!
Looking at the white mask in my inventory, I swore I would devour it completely. The starting point had changed to Floor 1, so the inventory wasn’t empty. Coins and items hadn’t vanished; they’d been frozen at the state right before I left the academy.
“Dahui, you’re gonna sleep with Kim Jinwoo?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Why not share a room with me… Three women together, right? Send Jinwoo to Eloin and Elbaren.”
Elysha walked over and complained to Yu Dahui. Yu Dahui smiled awkwardly.
“Sorry. I want to stay with Jinwoo.”
She looked at Elysha and Elena alternately with serious eyes. Under Yu Dahui’s piercing gaze, Elena simply wore a blank, clueless expression.
“If Dahui wants that, then fine… Director Elena, let’s spend a cozy time together.”
Elysha let her shoulders droop and claimed one hut. It wasn’t bad at all to check on them later.
I’ll make sure you can get into that hut.
Huts were protected by the System, but players with permission could enter. The glare Elena sent me was pure disgust.
“Kim Jinwoo, is this okay?”
“…Ten thousand coins a day? Can you even afford it?”
“It’s fine. I’ll earn coins.”
The makeshift shower facility was barely functional, but it was still way better than nothing. As a regressor, being stingy with coins was the dumbest thing she could do. I just followed Yu Dahui. Whether I slept here or anywhere else, it didn’t matter. The truth I already knew: as a Korean Army sergeant, you could sleep anywhere when your body was in pain.
“Dahui, are we hunting right away?”
“If everyone’s fine, wouldn’t it be better to go now?” Yu Dahui scanned the elves. Their status was perfect. But then it hit me like lightning.
This is way too simple. Why didn’t I know?
The Tower of Struggle was free. No one forced players to hunt. You hunted because you needed coins and wanted to get stronger. There was no way around it. If you couldn’t avoid the eyes, maybe you could just cut them down.
Elena.
Elena flinched and looked at me. No telepathy or anything. I only received the message.
Take Elysha and get out right now. Make up any excuse you want.
Elena looked at me like she didn’t understand, then patted Elysha’s shoulder.
“Princess Elysha, how about a walk around Floor 1 today? I’ll explain everything.”
“Ah… Director Elena? Earlier you said you wouldn’t help at all after leaving the academy…”
“Still, I can give basic information. Characteristics of the different races and simple advice about the System…”
Elysha thought for a moment.
“Okay. It’s been a while since I’ve spent time with Director Elena. It sounds nice.”
“Huh? You’re not hunting?”
“Hmm… Taking it easy today isn’t bad. Right, Dahui?”
Elysha’s gaze slid to Yu Dahui and fell away. Yu Dahui nodded with a dazed expression. The two female elves drifted farther apart.
“…What will you do with the elves over there?”
“If Princess Elysha isn’t with us, we don’t need to hunt.”
“Resting doesn’t sound bad either.”
Eloin and Elbaren had also left the hunting party. The elf group, centered on Elysha, broke apart the moment she left.
What a waste.
Eloin and Elbaren had been meant as sacrifice for Black Magic.
Now only two humans remained.
“Ah… just the two of us is a bit much…” Yu Dahui muttered.
From Yu Dahui’s perspective, my level was barely enough to take down a goblin. Outside, you’d encounter four or five monsters. It was natural to think it was dangerous.
“Shouldn’t we find another party? We can just work together for one day.”
“Hmm… not a bad idea.” Yu Dahui’s hesitation didn’t last long.
Four beastmen approached us, staring blankly.
“You! Human male!” The tiger beastman pointed at me. Rabbit, cat, and pig beastmen followed.
“That one…” Yu Dahui pretended not to notice, her acting and emotional control having improved.
The numbers were perfect—exactly four. There was no escape.
“Kim Jinwoo. Hey. What are you looking at right now?”
“I-I can’t help it!”
The breast that had only recently bloomed was exposed almost to the point of nudity, and how could I not look? Horin was barely covered by a straw mat, but her upper body was nearly naked. If the tiger-pattern fur hadn’t been perfectly placed, I would have thought she was a pervert who loved outdoor exposure.
“Human male! I smell a familiar scent from you.”
Yu Dahui knew what that smell meant. Thanks to the previous loop, she’d already figured out it was an ancient spirit.
“Human female! Hand him over to me!”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“I’ll take him by force!”
This time, Horin challenged me to a duel. In broad daylight, no alcohol involved.
This feels like an unavoidable event.
The side menu of beastmen males leering at Yu Dahui was nothing. The main event was Horin’s obsession with my ancient spirit. Because I’d eaten the ancient spirit, Horin’s crazy behavior was now set in stone.
Yu Dahui smirked and stepped back. She pulled out her weapon with familiar ease and set the victory condition.
“In the previous loop I stole Level 2 Strength, but this time it’s different.”
“If I win, you all join my party. I’ll treat you like slaves.”
“…Fine. If I win, it’s the same. Especially the human female looks pretty. I’ll hand her over to these guys.”
The straw mats of the rabbit, pig, and cat beastmen males puffed up grotesquely.
Yu Dahui frowned and leveled her weapon. The duel ended in seconds. No spectators, so no bets.
“How is this possible…! I lost to a human female…!”
As a result, the four beastmen became Yu Dahui’s slaves. Expendable meat shields, completely useless.
“Let’s hunt!”
“Ugh, ugh! I don’t want to! Why do I have to listen to a human female?!”
Horin swung her body around and led the way.
“Keuk, my body’s moving on its own!”
“Nya!”
“Carrots! I want carrots!”
The three other beastmen males lined up beside her.
“At this rate we can hunt safely, right? I’ll help. Jinwoo, just relax and grow.”
Yu Dahui laughed brightly. We hunted with the four beastmen as shields. They had power incomparable to the elves. No mana, but their superior physical specs smashed goblins.
“Keuk! I want to rest!”
“Carrots! I’m hungry!”
The beastmen males rubbed recovery potions on their exhausted bodies and whined. The best part about the four was that we didn’t have to be considerate of them.
“Quiet and move! Tired? Annoyed? Then go talk to them! Don’t talk to me like that!”
Yu Dahui scolded the males harshly. Only Horin among them was sane. Her blood had thinned enough that tiger features were barely visible, but the tiger’s blood didn’t seem affected.
“Hey. What are you doing here?”
“I’m training to split the sea.”
I met a boy and heard about the blue pillars. Yu Dahui had to suffer through the annoying process again because of me.
“Jinwoo, want to look for the blue pillars?”
“We’d have to search the entire floor. It’ll take forever.”
Even in the novel, it would take a long time. The farther we went from First City, the stronger the monsters got. Hunting them all while looking for the pillars wasn’t easy.
“Keuk! Blue pillar! I know where it is! Keuk!”
“Huh?”
At that moment, the pig beastman raised his hand and wailed. Drool sprayed from his mouth.
“The blue pillar! It’s spewing strange energy! I touched it and almost froze to death! Keuk!”
The pig beastman knew the blue pillars’ exact features. There were five in total. Touching all five simultaneously would break the barrier and open the path to the Temple of the Sea.
Yu Dahui looked at me. She asked silently what I thought of his words. I gave a tiny nod.
“…Let’s go.”
“Keuk! As payment for the information, please let me go!”
The other two beastmen males yelled in protest. Traitor, what, you have no pride…
“Keuk! If I keep going like this, I’ll die! I don’t want to die! I haven’t even planted seeds yet! Keuk!”
“…Fine. If we’re looking for the right place, I’ll let you go right there.”
“Keuiik! I’ll guide you!”
“The blue pillar emits an unfamiliar energy. It looks… dangerous.”
“How do you know where it is?”
⟨ BLUE PILLAR LOCATION ⟩
Ancient Spirit activated. The tiger beastman’s obsession has been confirmed.