Chapter 10. The Walking Human Aphrodisiac
Chapter 10. The Walking Human Aphrodisiac
Chapter 10. The Walking Human Aphrodisiac
To start with the conclusion, the unprecedented incident of the Demon King's descent ended without a single casualty.
"Well, no casualties, but I suppose you could say there were victims?"
I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my dormitory room and let out a sigh.
As I lifted my shirt to expose my abdomen in front of the mirror, there was a bizarre yet magnificent tattoo engraved there that hadn't been there before.
It was a brand, or perhaps a blessing, personally engraved by the final boss herself—the Demon King, the undisputed #1 of [Hunter's Age], who could tear through dimensions like they were sheets of paper.
It was a parting gift left by her right before she was forcibly ejected due to dimensional recoil, after she had been hit head-on by my ultimate secret technique, 'Ppuing-ppuing', and stood there stuttering with a flushed face.
"I shall come to collect you myself soon. Until then, I shall leave a mark to show that you are 'Mine'."
She had smiled seductively as she pressed her finger against my abdomen, and this was the result.
"No, for the sake of the King of Demons, a Demon King, shouldn't you have engraved something cool like a skull? What's with the heart?! Why a heart?!"
That's right.
On my smooth abdomen, specifically near my lower abdomen, a black heart tattoo with a faint pink tint was clearly engraved.
And it wasn't just any heart; it was a heart that seemed to be alive, pulsing subtly and emitting a strange, magical energy.
"What is this, some kind of lewd mark from an erotic manga...? It's not even a female character, what is this embarrassing thing on a man...?"
I groaned, clutching my forehead.
Yes, for a final boss appearance, there were no casualties, and this shitty heart tattoo could just be covered with clothes, but the real problem was something else.
The next morning, in the academy hallway where I had been forced to attend class, I realized the severity of the problem.
"Sniff, sniff, do you smell something?"
"Smell? Uh... a lewd scent...?"
I hurriedly moved away from the absurd conversation between the female students I overheard while heading to the lecture hall.
That's right.
This heart tattoo was the brand of the Demon King Asmodeus, and at the same time, it was a blessing that concentrated her powers.
And the main power she presided over was none other than 'Lust'.
'How is a blessing that makes me leak pheromones that seduce the opposite sex 24/7 a blessing?!'
Even without this, I was already someone who received all the attention from women due to my unrivaled appearance in this gender-reversed world.
But now, I had become a literal walking human aphrodisiac.
Seeing the eyes of the female students becoming three or four times more glazed over than usual every time I passed through the hallway, cold sweat ran down my spine.
"Student Park Haneul, could we talk for a moment?"
Even the middle-aged female professor, known for being strict, had a voice that trembled slightly as she called me over.
Her gaze wasn't on my face, but was scanning the area around my abdomen, hidden beneath my shirt, where the heart tattoo lay.
Instinctively sensing danger, I made up a flimsy excuse and ran into the lecture hall as if fleeing.
But the situation inside the lecture hall was no different.
In this place where 90% were female students, the moment I opened the door and walked in, dozens of noses twitched simultaneously.
"Haneul-ah, here! Sit next to me!"
Sia stood up from her seat and waved.
Having been beaten to a pulp by the Demon King yesterday, she was already perfectly recovered thanks to my healing ability.
However, the atmosphere surrounding her was much heavier than yesterday.
As soon as I sat in the seat next to her, Sia pressed her nose against my shoulder and took a deep breath.
"...Haneul-ah, you smell much sweeter than usual."
"I-is that so? Isn't it just your imagination?"
Even at my reply, Sia didn't seem satisfied and reached her hand toward my waist.
Her fingertips touched the hem of my shirt near where the heart tattoo was engraved.
"Liar. I know that crazy Demon King bitch did something to you here. I'll wash it off. I'll erase it all with my magic."
Sia's eyes flashed with a golden light, and the density of her [Obsession] deepened.
Just as her touch was about to become more persistent, the lecture hall door swung open violently, and agents from the Hunter Association burst in.
"Student Park Haneul, an emergency summons order has been issued from the Association headquarters. For your personal protection, you must move immediately."
The overwhelming purification ability from yesterday, and the healing that surpassed the Saintess.
My value had already transcended the level of a mere student and had been elevated to a 'strategic asset' of humanity.
The lecture hall was instantly in an uproar, and Sia radiated beast-like killing intent toward the agents, but I felt relieved instead.
Because if I stayed in the lecture hall like that, I didn't know what Sia might do to me under the pretext of erasing the tattoo.
At the same time, in the basement of a skyscraper in the city center.
Deep in the darkness, unknown even to the general public, was the hideout of the villain organization 'Black Wings'.
In the center of the office, where cold and heavy air hung, sat a woman in a luxurious leather chair.
Jet-black hair and cold eyes that seemed to pierce through everything.
The pressure she exuded was by no means inferior to the Demon King Asmodeus who had descended yesterday.
She sat in the giant leather chair, watching the video on the monitor.
The video showed Park Haneul purifying the Demon King's demonic energy with a dazzling white radiance.
"Found you. Finally..."
Her lips trembled thinly.
Her voice contained a strange longing.
The power to purify Asmodeus's demonic energy.
It was the most necessary key for her, who dreamed of revenge against the Demon King, Asmodeus.
Revenge.
A person in the hideout of the villain organization Black Wings—not the Hunter Association trying to protect world peace—dreaming of revenge against the Demon King?
In fact, her true identity was the leader of the villain organization Black Wings, and the 'Black Dragon' Belzenia, who had fled to Earth after losing the war for the throne in the dimension beyond the Gate.
Although she had lost most of her power after being defeated by Asmodeus, she was leading this massive organization while taking on a human form, based on the arrogance and magical knowledge unique to a dragon.
"The power of purification that child possesses is not just at the level of healing the body. It is the light of the origin that neutralizes the Demon King's power itself."
What she wanted from Park Haneul was not just his beautiful appearance.
That 'power of purification' that neutralizes the Demon King's power.
If she only had that, she could return to the demon realm, cut off Asmodeus's head, and reclaim the throne.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
As Belzenia's permission was given, Han Sohee stepped into the office.
She was the one who had taken on the role of a double agent in the Black Wings at Park Haneul's request.
"Did you call for me, Leader-nim?"
Han Sohee was polite, but there was wariness in her eyes.
A private meeting with the leader of the organization, 'Belzenia'.
She was the founder of the Black Wings and the veiled #1, and even Sohee had only met her a few times.
Sohee actually found her quite unsettling, as she gave off a chilling, inhuman vibe every time they met.
'Still, if it's a private meeting with the leader, I might be able to get better information than usual.'
Belzenia stood up and approached Sohee with an elegant gait.
"Han Sohee, I called you because I intend to give you a very important mission."
"Please, speak."
"Kidnap that boy named Park Haneul, who you failed to kidnap last time, and bring him here right now."
For a moment, Sohee's shoulders visibly flinched.
Her inner thoughts were boiling with rage.
How dare you tell me to kidnap my Haneul?
'I have to let Haneul know about this as soon as possible. And we have to run away together...'
Sohee was impatient, but she bowed her head, pretending to obey for now.
"...Understood. I will carry out your orders."
"...You, you are harboring other thoughts, aren't you?"
Belzenia's cold voice struck the back of Sohee's head.
"N-no! How could I ever... Gack?!"
Before she could even finish her sentence, Sohee's body floated up into the air.
Belzenia's hand had grabbed Sohee's neck and forcibly lifted her up.
"Even if you don't say it, I know everything. Even that filthy obsession, desire, and craving hidden deep in your heart."
Belzenia's eyes split vertically like those of a reptile and flashed.
"Don't touch Haneul! You monster!"
Sohee shouted while struggling, but Belzenia smiled leisurely.
"Don't worry. In a way, it might be a better deal for you."
Strange magic began to be imbued in her voice.
"What I want from Park Haneul is his purification ability, not his shell. As long as you bring him to me, I will give that shell entirely to you, Han Sohee."
Sohee's eyes were fixed on Belzenia's dragon eyes.
"The shell... is mine...?"
"Yes. You can make him your doll for the rest of his life in a place where there are no obstacles like Kim Sia or those Association bastards. Now, think about it. The sight of him looking only at you and rotting away in your arms."
Belzenia's power, 'Mental Encroachment', which digs into the most vulnerable inner self of the opponent, had begun.
Sohee's reason, which was already bothered by the existence of Kim Sia, melted away in an instant.
"The shell is mine... Haneul is mine..."
Sohee's focus slowly faded, and her eyes turned into those of a puppet.
Belzenia threw Sohee to the floor as if satisfied.
"Go and bring him. Your eternal toy."
"...Understood, Leader-nim."
Sohee's reply echoed emptily in the dark room.