Chapter 283: Quest Preparations
Chapter 283: Quest Preparations
“Now, now. Calm down. There’s no need to be jealous—”
“Guwon, how long are you going to stay like that?!”
“Come to think of it, that woman’s breasts are quite large! Hmm?!”
Uh, huh? Weren’t they only mad at Alicia?
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, I panicked and tried to pull my face away from Alicia’s chest.
“…Hey. Alicia.”
“Hm? What is it all of a sudden?”
“…Could you let go?”
It was no use. Alicia, who was clearly a warrior type, was ridiculously strong.
Just how absurdly strong was she that I couldn’t even budge her when I pushed?
No, it wasn’t that I lost in a contest of strength.
Of course not. With all my bonus stats? If I went all out, something like this would be no problem.
I was just choosing not to.
“What are you talking about? Did you want to stay pressed against my chest for even a second longer? So much that you’d say something so absurd? Did you miss the embrace of the big sister who took your virginity that much?”
“…What?”
Wh-what is this crazy bitch saying?!
“Guwooooon!”
“Hey, hey. I’m not kidding, this is getting dangerous. Let go!”
As I spoke urgently, Alicia leaned down and whispered in a voice only I could hear.
“Hmph. This is your punishment for being late. Do you have any idea how much our Clan Leader nagged me for the past two days? You can suffer a little, too.”
With that, Alicia finally released me.
You’re doing this just because I was gone for two days?!
Her broad, refreshing smile just made me even more pissed off.
But now wasn’t the time to worry about that.
“Sara! Diana! It’s a misunderstanding! I have no interest in the embrace of some girl who’s never even had a boyfriend! You trust me, don’t you?” I shouted, hastily pushing Alicia away the moment her arms loosened.
My desperate display seemed to have convinced them both.
Diana spoke, a look of disbelief on her face.
“Who are you calling ‘little sister’?”
“Hehet. Big sis. You trust me, right?”
“Tsk! Stop with that pathetic attempt at being cute.”
Pathetic? I thought it was working quite well.
“Guwon. You need to stay right by my side.”
Sara even stepped slightly in front of me, as if burning with a sense of duty.
Haven’t our gender roles been reversed? No, wait, is this normal in this world?
It felt strange. I mean, she was reliable, but still.
As for Alicia, who was now being treated as a threat by Sara, my earlier words must have struck her like a dagger.
“Hey! What’s it to you if I’ve never had a boyfriend?!”
“So you admit it. It’s not that you didn’t date, but that you couldn’t.”
“That’s not it! You little bastard…!”
“Pfft! Alicia! Wanted a boyfriend! But couldn’t find a guy to date her!”
“Th-that’s not it, I said! If I just put my mind to it! You son of a…!”
Alicia began to tremble, unable to contain her rage.
She might actually take a swing at me, huh? At this precious body that’s been entrusted with an important quest! Kuhahaha!
That’s what you get for trying such a lame provocation on me. Especially when I already know your weakness.
I’m a man who can mercilessly exploit the weaknesses of others.
“Well then, how about you guide us to your Clan Leader? She’s waiting, isn’t she?”
I flashed a victor’s smile and lightly patted the shoulder of the still-fuming Alicia.
“Just you wait…”
Muttering with deep-seated resentment, Alicia turned away.
Well, she has a straightforward personality, so she’ll probably get over it soon enough.
According to Alicia, the Arachne Clan Leader was currently in her room. Alicia ignored all procedure and led us straight there instead of to the office.
We ended up entering the building used as the clan members’ living quarters, where we were met with a familiar sight.
I’m talking about that paradise where half-naked women walked around with confidence.
What’s more, this seemed to be the area where higher-level members lived, and it felt like everyone’s beauty had gone up a notch.
They still couldn’t compare to my girls, of course, but I couldn’t deny that it was a feast for the eyes.
“Th-this is…!”
“Wh-who are these people?! Have they no shame?”
“Uwaaah…”
Diana, Sara, and Silvia all looked shocked by the scene.
So Diana didn’t know about this either.
I guess it made sense. When she warned me, she only said something vague about men dying of exhaustion.
“How about it? Amazing, right? This is the leveling system our clan is so proud of,” Alicia muttered, sounding quite proud herself.
From the clan members who passed by, smiling at me without a care in the world, to Alicia who was boasting about it, it seemed everyone in this clan had a screw loose when it came to common sense. Kanna’s party even had a priestess, and they still suggested a foursome.
“Where are you looking! You are not to look!”
Diana, the first to regain her senses, got on her tiptoes and hurriedly covered my eyes.
Hey. It’s not like my heart is going to change just from seeing something like this. So you don’t have to tremble like that while covering my eyes. …Please move your hands.
“Diana. It’s okay. I’ll do it.”
Perhaps feeling sorry for Diana, who was stretching her whole body just to barely cover my eyes, Sara took over the duty.
I’m telling you, you don’t have to cover them.
Well, this way I can feel Sara’s soft chest against my back, so I guess it’s fine.
In the end, I had to pass through that paradise of beauties of all shapes and sizes walking around half-naked with my eyes covered.
That paradise could have been my paradise.
These girls need to appreciate and trust me more, considering I rejected all that for them.
Only when we reached the top floor of the building were my eyes finally freed.
There was no one around. Either the Clan Leader used the entire floor, or it was just a coincidence that no one was here.
“Miriel. I’m coming in.”
Alicia strode toward one of the doors and, without even knocking, threw it open.
Inside the room, a stunningly beautiful woman, her body still damp as if she’d just showered, was drying herself with a towel, completely naked.
She was a beauty who felt more handsome than pretty, if that makes sense. The type who would be incredibly popular with other women.
Her hair was cut short, and if I’d only seen her face, I might have mistaken her for a handsome young man.
But her body was sleek with just the right amount of muscle, and her breasts and hips had a moderate volume, giving her an overall well-balanced impression.
The only flaw was the severe-looking scars scattered across her body, but her beauty was more than enough to overcome them.
The beauty didn’t seem to mind the sudden intrusion in the slightest. Without even looking our way, she started nagging Alicia.
“Alicia. If you have time to wander around so leisurely, you should have brought that Milk Road Maker or whatever…”
“I told you not to rush me. I brought him.”
“What?!”
Only then did the beauty turn her gaze toward us.
The gaze of the beauty with clear, straight eyes passed over Alicia, Silvia, Sara, and Diana before finally stopping on me.
“Hoh…”
Her eyes shining with curiosity, she briskly slung the towel she’d been using over her shoulder with a sharp snap.
Then she spread her legs shoulder-width apart, placed the hand not holding the towel on her hip, and looked me up and down as if appraising me.
It seemed she didn’t have the slightest intention of covering herself. I’m eternally gratef—no, that’s not it. As expected of such a bizarre clan, its leader was no ordinary person.
“So you’re the Milk Road Maker.”
“It’s Guwon. Don’t call me by that nickname.”
“Haha. You’ve got spirit. Alright, Guwon. I’m Miriel. Shall we go, then?”
Miriel let out a hearty laugh and approached me, still with no intention of getting dressed.
“What? Go where?”
“Hm? Didn’t you come here for the quest?”
“What do you mean, a quest, right after we just arrived? We came to talk about the quest.”
“Is that so? I don’t think there’s much to talk about. Well, have a seat.”
Miriel, now looking bored, pointed to a sofa in the room and plopped down on the one across from it.
She still showed no signs of putting on clothes.
Worse, she sat on the sofa with her legs spread wide open. Thanks to her, her well-ripened, pink petals were on full display.
Thank you. Thank you.
“You. How about putting on some clothes?”
And then there was Sara, who never backed down from anyone, anytime. She was the first to speak up.
While clamping both her hands firmly over my eyes again.
No! The secret crevasse…!
Just looking is fine, isn’t it?! It’s not like I’m going to cheat on you!
“Hm? I don’t really see the need.”
Yes! That’s it! You have to live as you are! Don’t compromise yourself!
“I think it would be best to cancel this quest.”
“I agree. It’s too dangerous.”
“Huh? Hey. I don’t know who you are, but what’s this all of a sudden? As for Guwon, we’ll guard him like a fortress for the entire quest and guarantee his safety, so don’t worry.”
“That’s not the problem! Just put on some clothes!”
“Hm? Ah. Haha. Was that what this was about? My apologies.”
Miriel laughed heartily, and soon I heard the rustling of fabric.
By the time my eyes were freed, Miriel’s body was already tightly wrapped in clothes.
Dammit! Giving in so easily! I’m already disappointed in you!
“Hmph. Looks like you’re even more interesting than the rumors say. So, what is it you wanted to talk about regarding the quest?”
“There are a few things. Like when the quest will start and end. And the payment.”
“What? Is that all? That’s simple. We can start the quest right now. The duration is until we obtain the penis of our target. As for payment… right. We’ll give you half of all income earned from hunting during the quest period. Of course, you don’t have to do any hunting. You just follow along and make money. Sound good?”
“You said the duration is until we get the target’s penis. Could you tell us who this target is?”
“Simple. The Layer Boss of the 5th Floor.”
“I am absolutely against this!”
“Diana? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“What’s wrong, you ask? It’s the 5th Floor! The 5th Floor! The deepest anyone has ever delved into the Dungeon is the 6th Floor. And you want to face the 5th Floor’s Layer Boss!”
“Right. And one of the parties that reached the 6th Floor was ours. Don’t worry. We’ll make sure not a single hair on your man’s head is harmed. How many times do you think we’ve fought that thing just to get in and out of the 6th Floor, which doesn’t even have a teleportation circle?”
“You only say that because you don’t know about Guwon’s skills. His Saint skills act as an incredibly effective taunt against monsters. You want to obtain its penis, right? That means Guwon will have to use his Saint skills. If the Layer Boss ignores everything else and attacks only Guwon, can you truly guarantee that not a single hair on his head will be harmed?”
“Oh? Hmm. I see. So there’s that issue. But don’t worry. We can just fight the beast until it’s on its last legs, and then he can use that Saint skill right before the finishing blow, right? And normally, I can handle the 5th Floor’s Layer Boss with just three of our executives. But this time, to protect him, all of our clan’s executives plan to join the hunt. Doesn’t that put you at ease a little?”
“Is there a reason to go that far?”
Since they were offering to go to such lengths, my curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask.
Even if it was to get a penis, it felt like a bit of an over-investment.
She said they frequent the 6th Floor.
But what they would get from traveling with me was the penis of a 5th-floor monster.
Was it really worth all this trouble?
“Yes. To be honest, I’m confident we’ve explored the 6th floor quite thoroughly. Of course, there are still many places we haven’t seen, but we even defeated a creature that seemed to be the Layer Boss there. It’s strange that we still can’t find the way down. I’ve heard rumors about secret passages that can be opened with a penis, but the creatures on the 6th floor aren’t the kind you can get a penis from. However, I recently heard that a path was found on the 2nd floor that leads to the middle of the 3rd floor through a small dungeon. If that’s the case, there’s no reason a passage from the 5th to the 7th floor couldn’t exist, right?”
As Miriel spoke, her eyes were filled with a kind of conviction.
They were the eyes of a person who would see their chosen path through to the end, no matter what.
Then she should have refused to put on her clothes earlier… No. That’s not what’s important right now.