Chapter 88: Clan Founding
Chapter 88: Clan Founding
After that, we listened to a rough summary of the characteristics of the 2nd floor orcs, and our party deliberately chose to sleep in one of the small huts.
Although we set up an alarm at the entrance, it wasn't a place where our safety was guaranteed, unlike the secret base, so we had no choice but to stand watch for the first time in a while.
“Then let’s have Diana and Leia take the first and last shifts.”
Before Guwon could speak, Sara made the suggestion.
“Are you sure? You even fainted today.”
“I’m fine. I’ve already recovered completely from that. Besides, someone has to take the middle watch, right?”
Well, she had a point.
But it was also true that I was grateful she had stepped up to take it.
“Thanks.”
“I-It’s nothing. You’re also in the middle, Guwon.”
We decided on the watch order—Diana, Sara, Guwon, then Leia—and the party went to sleep.
“Guwon. Wake up.”
When he heard the voice, the first thing Guwon felt was a soft sensation all over his body.
The size has been different each day, but isn't this the same feeling I've had in my hand every time I've woken up lately?
The moment he realized this, Guwon’s eyes flew open.
Just as he’d thought. Guwon’s hand was on the chest of a sitting Sara. No, that wasn’t all. He was hugging her as if he were pouncing on her.
When did I get this close to Sara? Did I really do all this in my sleep?
As soon as he grasped the situation, Guwon scrambled away from Sara.
He wouldn’t make the same mistake of continuing to touch her like yesterday. One mistake was enough.
As if confirming that Guwon was awake, Sara’s flushed face began to sour.
“Sorry! I’ve been sleep-talking and moving around a lot lately for some reason!”
“…No.”
Thankfully, she wasn’t angry, but even as she said no, Sara’s expression remained sour.
“I’m telling you, it was my sleep habits.”
“That’s not it…!”
“Huh? If that’s not it, then what is?”
“I don’t know! I’m going to sleep!”
With that, Sara burrowed into her blanket and disappeared from sight.
If the problem isn't that I didn't do it on purpose, then what is it?
Ah, maybe the problem was that I should have just apologized for touching her, instead of making excuses about sleep habits.
Understanding women really is difficult.
In any case, Guwon sat up for his watch.
Sara was buried under her blanket, but the sight of Diana and Leia sleeping defenselessly was more than enough to please the eyes.
This might have been the first time he’d gotten a good look at Leia sleeping like this.
Even though she was lying on her back, the degree to which her chest swelled was incredible. Just what size was she?
Guwon stared intently at the mounds that swayed subtly with every breath she took.
Once your eyes land on them, you can’t look away. They’re truly bewitching hills.
As he stared for a long while, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
What were the exact conditions for Leia’s Gumiho transformation?
On the first day, she had been fine right up until the moment she came out of the shower. Then, as soon as Guwon placed a hand on her chest, she suddenly transformed.
What about last time?
Back then, she definitely hadn’t turned into a Gumiho the instant he touched her chest. When he first started touching her, Leia had clearly still been in her right mind.
She only transformed after Guwon refused to remove his hand and kept touching her, despite her telling him they couldn’t do it there.
The first day, when she became a Gumiho the moment he touched her chest, and the other day, when she only became a Gumiho after he’d been touching her for a while. What was the difference?
Could it be an issue of Leia’s perception? Was it important that Leia recognized that they were about to have sex?
The thought seemed plausible.
For Leia’s sake, this might require some verification.
This was definitely not because he wanted to touch those breasts.
Based on that flawless logic, Guwon reached out a hand toward Leia’s chest.
Mmm. As expected, a perfect texture.
No, that wasn’t it. As he’d thought, she didn’t immediately transform into a Gumiho.
But that was the case last time, too. To verify this properly, he’d have to keep touching her, right?
He had to touch her for at least longer than last time.
But how long had he touched her last time?
If he assumed he’d started touching her before he even woke up, then it was impossible to guess the time.
It couldn’t be helped. He’d just have to keep touching her like this until it was time for the next watch.
When she still didn’t change after he’d had his hand on her chest for a long while, he wondered if pleasure was the cause and even began to knead her gently, careful not to wake her.
“Nngh.”
Her face flushed slightly in her sleep and she let out a sensual sound, so it was clear she was feeling pleasure.
But even as he touched her chest until it was time for the next watch, Leia did not transform into a Gumiho.
So, simply touching her chest isn’t enough to make her transform.
It seemed his theory was becoming more and more certain.
“Leia, wake up.”
Having simultaneously verified his theory for Leia’s sake and satisfied his own desires, Guwon forced his reluctant hand away and woke her.
“Mmm. Good morn—!”
Leia slowly opened her eyes, then suddenly pressed a hand to her chest.
“Wh-What’s wrong?”
Did she find out?
“Ah, n-no. It’s nothing.”
Leia replied, her face blushing.
Even though she said that, it seemed a faint sensation lingered on her chest.
“Good morning.”
Despite that, our angel gave a delicate smile and greeted Guwon once more.
“Yeah. Did you sleep well, Leia?”
“Yes. Thanks to you.”
Thanks to me? If anything, I’m the one who had a wonderful time, thanks to you.
“You should get back to sleep too, Guwon. I’ll wake you when it’s time.”
“Okay. If you sense anything strange, wake me up immediately.”
“Fufu. Yes. Don’t worry.”
Of course, he wasn’t worried. There was no way our angel would neglect her duties.
He lay down right away, but sleep wouldn’t come.
Even if it was for research, did I touch her for too long? The sensation is still so vivid on my hand.
“Can’t you sleep?”
Leia asked, seeing Guwon tossing and turning.
“No, yeah. Just a little.”
“In that case…”
Leia gently reached a hand behind Guwon’s head, lifted it slightly, and slid her own thigh underneath.
Th-This is! The legendary…!
“Is this a little better?”
She then began to gently stroke Guwon’s head. She even seemed quite used to doing this.
L-Leia! Is there no end to her benevolence!
Guwon was so overwhelmed by the wave of emotion that he was at a loss for words.
I will believe in you and follow you for the rest of my life!
In truth, it was so moving that it actually made it harder to fall asleep, but Guwon would never say such a thing and simply nodded quietly.
But between the comforting softness against the back of his head and Leia’s gentle hand stroking his hair, Guwon eventually drifted off to sleep again.
He was gradually roused back to consciousness by a commotion around him.
“Wh-What are you doing?”
“Hm? Guwon-ssi seemed to be having trouble sleeping.”
“B-But isn’t that uncomfortable for you?”
“It’s fine. I’m used to it from doing it for the children at the orphanage.”
“B-But!”
“Mmm…”
Even though he opened his eyes, his vision was pitch black, as if something was blocking it.
What is this?
“Kyaa!”
As Guwon reached out to move whatever was blocking his sight, he felt something soft and heard Leia’s scream.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
Immediately after, Diana’s attack exploded into Guwon’s abdomen.
Gah! Now I remember!
Guwon finally recalled how he had fallen asleep.
Then does that mean this thing covering my eyes is all breast?!
Guwon confirmed the sensation in his hand and shuddered once more.
This is definitely the same feeling I was kneading all night!
“…You’re fondling them for quite a long time this time, aren’t you?”
At Sara’s voice, which sent a chill down to his very bones, Guwon quickly pulled his hand away.
“Ah, no. Sorry, Leia. I wasn’t fully awake.”
“No, it’s alright.”
But Leia, her face blushing softly, forgave him.
“But is your leg okay? Wasn’t I heavy?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I was watching your sleeping face, so I didn’t even notice the weight.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes. Fufu. You were cute. You’re so dependable in battle, but your sleeping face is cute, just like your age.”
I don’t think I’m at an age to be called cute.
No. From Leia’s perspective, I’m younger, so maybe I am at a cute age?
“Is-Is that so? Hehet. Thanks.”
Whatever the case, Guwon grinned dopily as he replied to Leia.
She’s making me melt first thing in the morning.
Alright. Let’s work hard today, too.
“Look at him, happy enough to die. Just die.”
“I know, right? He really is. Just die.”
In contrast, Diana and Sara stared at Guwon as if the sight of him was an eyesore first thing in the morning.
Is it just my imagination, or was there some real feeling behind that last ‘die’?
Anyway, we decided to leave the small hut to have our meal.
“Kruk?”
And the moment they stepped outside, the party came face to face with an orc.
The creature was emerging from the giant hut that seemed to belong to the Transcendent Species.
We had definitely scouted this village yesterday, and there hadn’t been a single orc.
In other words, that thing had come from somewhere else.
“Attack! Don’t let it get away!”
The orc and the party stared at each other in mutual surprise for a silent moment, but Guwon was the first to grasp the situation and shouted.
“Yes!”
And Sara’s arrow immediately pierced the creature.
“Do you think someone sent it?”
“Hmm. Seeing a normal orc emerge from a Transcendent Species’ hut, it would be reasonable to assume it came on some sort of errand.”
I didn’t know who sent it, but it was probably best to assume it was sent by the Transcendent Species or the Layer Boss.
If that thing didn’t return, they would soon realize something was wrong here.
“Looks like we don’t have time for a leisurely meal. Sorry, but let’s move out immediately.”
Fortunately, we still had beef jerky in our inventory, so we could at least sate our hunger while walking.
Guwon quickly left the village and thought as he walked.
It was always best to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
If that orc was sent by the Layer Boss, then once the time for its return had passed, the Layer Boss would realize something was amiss.
If that was the case, it might be better to launch a surprise attack now, while it was still unaware and defenseless.
Besides, we were already predicting that the Layer Boss was likely a shaman.
According to Diana, shamans were the type to draw more power the more allies they had around them.
If we gave it time to prepare, it might become even more difficult.
“Diana. What do you think?”
First, he asked Diana for her opinion, as she had the most dungeon experience.
“Hmm. A sound judgment. I also agree that the Layer Boss is likely a shaman type. I would not lose to a shaman, but it would certainly become troublesome if it prepares. So, shall we launch a surprise attack right now?”
“Can we do it with our current strength?”
“I said you needed to learn Protect for the Werewolf Layer Boss because of its special nature, but our party’s strength is already more than enough for the 1st floor—it’s almost a waste. Let’s give it a try.”
Alright. If I have Diana’s guarantee, then it’s definitely worth a shot.
The party immediately headed for the great stone they had visited yesterday.
And…
“Huh? There’s no one here?”
That was right. There was no one around the great stone.
And here I was, thinking this was the entrance to the next floor.
As we got closer, we saw that the stone, despite being in the middle of a clearing, was cleanly wiped and decorated with bones and various strange symbols, likely from some kind of shamanism.
It was practically advertising itself as an important location.
“Well, it seems certain that the boss here is a shaman.”
“And that this is the entrance to the next floor, too. Look here.”
Sara, who had circled to the other side of the rock at some point, called out to the party.
A hole was bored into the rock like a cave entrance, with a spiral path leading down.
“This looks like the entrance, right?”
It really was.
Then what is the Layer Boss doing? Wasn’t its job to guard the entrance?
It’s confusing people by neglecting its duties.
“Well then… shall we give it a go?”
In any case, if it wasn’t here, there was no reason for us to wait around.
We could just pass through.
“Hmm. We are not yet prepared, so traversing the 2nd floor will be difficult, but let us at least take a look.”
The party passed through the opening in the rock and slowly descended the path.