Chapter 52: Guild Quest
Chapter 52: Guild Quest
The next morning.
Even after a night's sleep, Diana was still looking at Guwon and Sara with a sullen face.
“Diana. Stop being angry. I said I’m sorry.”
“I am not angry. What reason would I have to be angry?”
How can you say that after being so obviously mad?
What is this… Don’t tell me this is that infamous “What did I do wrong?” situation I’ve only ever heard about.
“A party member acting without any sense of danger in the dungeon…?”
“Y-Yes! That’s it exactly!”
Thankfully, that seemed to be the right answer.
Diana nodded her head with exaggerated vigor.
“I’m sorry, Diana. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Sara stood beside Guwon and apologized to Diana with a sorry expression, but for some reason, Diana’s face only grew more sullen.
Sigh… It seems that even for Diana, being angered this many times in a row means she won’t cool down so easily.
What should I do?
“Here, Diana. I think this is all cooked. Hurry and eat.”
“Diana, isn’t this too hot? Let me blow on it for you. Hoo, hoo.”
“Wow! This is delicious. Want me to feed you? Here, say ‘ahhh’.”
“I get it! I get it! Stop it already!”
Even during breakfast, Guwon kept acting uncharacteristically cute, fawning over Diana.
Diana glared at him, then let out a small sigh.
“Are you truly reflecting on your actions?”
“Of course. I am.”
“We’re really sorry. Please stop being angry, Diana.”
As Sara chimed in from the side, Diana’s expression grew complicated, her gaze shifting back and forth between Guwon and Sara.
“In that case… would you be willing to grant me a request?”
“Huh? What kind of request? No, just say the word! What wouldn’t I do for you, Diana?”
“Well…”
Diana hesitated for a long while, then, as if she’d finally made up her mind, she looked straight at Guwon and spoke.
“When we return to town, you will show me the two of you having relations.”
Wh-What is she talking about?
She wants to watch me and Sara have sex?
“W-What?! No, that’s a bit…”
“Did you not just say you would do anything?”
“I mean, I don’t mind, but Sara… She’s inexperienced and all…”
“I’m fine with it.”
While Guwon was flustered and making excuses, Sara coolly replied from beside him.
You’re fine with it?
“Guwon isn’t the only one at fault. I am as well. If this will make you feel better, then I don’t mind.”
Sara looked directly at Diana as she spoke.
But upon hearing those words, Diana, the one who made the request, looked crestfallen for some reason.
“But what are you going to do watching us?”
“W-Well? Th-That is, of course, to observe you using your skills, is it not?”
“You’re so dedicated to your research, Diana.”
At Sara’s words, Diana’s expression became complicated once more.
However, after that conversation, Diana at least stopped making a sullen face.
What a relief. We have to go to a new area, and I managed to placate her before that.
If she’d stayed like that, it would have been difficult in many ways.
After finishing their meal and packing up their blankets, the party finally headed toward the passage on the opposite side.
Not that it felt like a dramatic change, since we hadn’t moved to a different floor or anything.
“First, let’s look around a bit.”
The first thing to do was to complete the map to the point where we could identify our location by its shape.
A short while later, we ran into a single, imposing Werewolf.
“The ones here are definitely in top shape.”
“Hmm. In that case, we may run into a place where the Werewolves have gathered. We must be careful.”
Even in the goblin encampment, there was a limit to what we could do by just relying on overwhelming stats.
I could only imagine how much worse it would be in a place where creatures like Werewolves were gathered.
If we find a place like that, it would be best to just turn back.
If I provoked them to try and take advantage of their infinite respawn, and a horde of Werewolves came pouring out, it would be hard to even escape.
Name: Guwon
Race: Human
Job: Saint 41 / Adventurer 10 / Martial Artist 21
Level: 41
HP: 10300/10300
Essence: 4100/4100
Strength: 110
Durability: 100
Agility: 86
Stamina: 74
Intelligence: 50
Spirit: 56
Charm: 95
Bonus Stats: 45
Status: Normal
Even if Guwon’s stats had risen this much.
Of course, at this point, Guwon could now handle a single Werewolf all by himself.
Using the immense strength he’d gained from lifting that boulder, Guwon easily dispatched the Werewolf.
After that, as we explored the area to map it out, an unusual number of Werewolves appeared.
Moreover, they showed extreme hostility toward Guwon, who had emerged from the secret passage.
Monsters are the type to attack on sight anyway, but they felt even more ferocious than usual.
Of course, no matter how angry they got, they were no match for our party, so we dealt with them without any trouble and continued to complete our map for a couple of hours.
Finally, we had drawn enough of the map to identify its overall shape.
“Hey guys, wait a second.”
Guwon took out the map he’d purchased from the guild and began to compare it with the one he’d drawn.
Please let there be a match.
The edges of the 1st floor were actively traversed by adventurers, so the guild map was quite extensive, making it a real chore to compare the shapes one by one.
After persistently comparing the two maps, Guwon finally found a location on the guild map that had the exact same shape as our current area.
“Here! I think we’re right here!”
The spot Guwon pointed to was in a rather deep and secluded area on the guild map.
Position-wise, it felt closer to the place marked as the entrance to the 2nd floor than to the path leading up.
“Hmm. So this is the place. Then the one we caught before might be from around here,” Diana said, pointing to a section of the map.
The location, which was close to where our party was, was marked with a red drawing of a monster’s head.
Is this the mark for a Transcendent Species?
But I could see several more of those marks scattered around the map.
“Why are there so many Transcendent Species?”
“They are all Werewolf Transcendent Species. A Transcendent Species is not limited to a single individual per type. The ones we found above were a special case. And for some reason, there are an exceptional number of Transcendent Species near the entrance to the next floor.”
I see. So the difficulty ramps up before you can move on to the next stage.
“Then what’s this purple head?”
“That is the Layer Boss. It is the creature that guards the end of each floor. Its power is incomparable to even a Transcendent Species, so you must be careful.”
Diana explained in response to Sara’s question.
A Layer Boss, huh.
If it’s incomparable to a Transcendent Species, just how strong is it?
“How strong? Is it so strong that we can’t face it with our current skills?”
“Hmm. If you intend to hunt it, I would recommend you all raise your job levels first. And it would be good to recruit a healer, even a temporary one. The best method would be to cross to the next floor when another party defeats it.”
It’s that tough, huh.
I was feeling pretty confident after easily beating down that Werewolf Transcendent Species, but I guess things aren’t going to be that simple.
Then again, it’s not like we beat that Transcendent Species in a conventional way.
“Then we should focus on raising our job levels from now on.”
“Hmm. Before that, we should confirm whether this place is truly the location on the map.”
Right, she has a point.
It could just be a coincidence that the terrain is the same.
Besides, confirming it isn't that difficult.
We just have to go check the entrance to the 2nd floor, which isn’t far from here.
No matter how coincidental the terrain might be, something like that couldn’t possibly be the same.
The party checked the map and took the shortest route to the entrance of the 2nd floor.
And when we arrived, we found a Werewolf exuding an incredible sense of pressure.
No, was that even a Werewolf?
The creature was on a completely different level from the Transcendent Species. It looked to be over three meters tall, and it even had a fluffy, lion-like mane around its neck.
The sheer killing intent flowing from it, even from this distance, made goosebumps break out all over Guwon's skin.
“Is that really a 1st-floor monster?”
“In terms of raw power, it is definitely not a 1st-floor monster. You must be cautious if you face it.”
Caution? Forget caution, if we fought that thing, there wouldn’t even be bones left to bury.
The party quieted their footsteps and stealthily slipped away from the area.
Even after leaving the place, I could still feel the goosebumps on my arms.
Can our party really take down a monster like that on our own?
The question arose in my mind, but since Diana, who had likely faced it before, said so, it must mean it wasn't impossible.
Right. We’re the party that has to face the Demon King, after all. We can’t back down from something like this.
Guwon decided that rather than waiting for someone else to kill that thing, we would get stronger and kill it ourselves.
“First, let’s just raise our job levels.”
“Yes. That sounds good.”
I could feel a competitive spirit in Sara’s eyes.
As expected of a Hero. She wasn’t about to be intimidated by something like this.
After that, our party focused on raising our job levels by fighting monsters, making a point to explore areas not marked on the guild map.
That said, this is pretty boring.
Guwon thought to himself as he casually dispatched the Werewolf he had just encountered.
The last time I’d grinded job levels was when I was slaughtering Wolfdogs to have sex with Sara.
Back then, I was so horny that I worked hard, and the Wolfdogs’ ability to call for allies made it somewhat thrilling, so I didn’t realize how dull this was.
Fighting lone Werewolves or Orcs that posed no threat even in small groups just felt like repetitive labor. It was so boring.
Since it’s come to this, should I try not using Climax Restraint?
That’s how bored Guwon was, to be having such a crazy thought.
And it wasn’t an entirely crazy idea, either. Fighting while dodging an unpredictable mental attack would be very helpful for leveling up my Martial Artist job.
…Should I really do it?
The next monsters we met were three Orcs.
Alright. Let’s give it a shot.
If I’m careful, I can dodge it all, right?
This is all for the sake of leveling up faster.
This time, Guwon began to fight the Orcs without casting Climax Restraint.
Before the Orcs even died, they began to ejaculate.
Heh. I was waiting for it!
Guwon dodged the semen with spectacular movements, but Sara and Diana, who were watching from behind, seemed quite surprised.
“G-Guwon! Your skill!”
“Y-You! You forgot Climax Restraint!”
“I know! I did it on purpose!”
Guwon replied while elegantly dodging the streams of semen, then easily defeated all the Orcs.
How about that? The sight of me sacrificing my body for the sake of faster leveling. Isn’t it cool?
After carving out the Orcs’ Magic Stones, Guwon returned triumphantly, but for some reason, Sara and Diana backed away as he approached.
Sara’s face was deathly pale, and Diana’s eyes were wider with shock than when she had seen Guwon and Sara tangled together yesterday.
“Huh? What’s wrong with you two?”
“G-Guwon…”
“You have such a hobby?”
What are they talking about?
At Sara and Diana’s incomprehensible reactions, Guwon tilted his head, unable to understand what they meant.
Such a hobby? What hobby?
What did I just do?
Guwon briefly replayed his recent actions in his mind.
All I did was not use Climax Restraint to level up faster.
…Huh? Oh, for fuck’s sake, don’t tell me…!
“Hey! You’re not imagining something weird, are you?! It’s not like that! It’s not!”
“W-Well, everyone has their own unique hobbies. I shall be understanding.”
“I said it’s not like that! You think I’m a pervert like you?! Sara? You believe me, right?”
“Yes?! Y-Yes! Of course…”
Sara? For every step I take toward you, you take one step back.
Can I really believe those words?
Guwon had to desperately explain why he hadn’t used Climax Restraint.
His emotional appeal finally seemed to convince Sara and Diana.
Only after a long explanation did Sara and Diana finally come closer to Guwon.
“I believed you from the very beginning.”
“Hmph. Hmph. To be so dedicated to your own improvement. As expected of the man I’ve taken an interest in.”
The nerve of these liars!
Guwon found their behavior infuriating, but at the same time, he was relieved to have recovered his dignity.
I was almost branded a pervert who likes getting finished on.
“Don’t misunderstand like that again. I’d much rather be the one doing it. I’d rather die than be on the receiving end.”
“So you like doing it…”
“Then with Kanna and Serena, you must have…”
Uh, oh? Things were going so well, but did I just misspeak at the very end?!
The look in Sara and Diana’s eyes changed back to one of looking at a pervert.
Why, why? Isn’t that a pretty normal preference?
On second thought, it wasn’t.
This was a world where you leveled up through sex.
A woman could only level up if the man climaxed during sex.
In other words, if a man pulled out mid-act and came on her body, the woman would have offered her body and gotten no level-up in return.
Isn’t that a total son of a bitch who only satisfies his own desires and leaves?
It might be different for sex that had nothing to do with leveling up, but doing that to adventurers who desperately needed to level up made you complete trash.
“No. I just mean I’d rather be doing it than receiving it, not that I actually like doing that sort of…”
He tried to make a belated excuse, but of course, it was completely useless.
In the end, Guwon had to spend the rest of the day branded as a pervert by Sara and Diana.