The Raid (1)

The meeting was set for lunch.

My original plan was to have Kim Hee-an fill up my Essense, then just eat with the others at the meeting and go our separate ways.

In the evening, I wanted to finally drop my transformation, check my new level, and get some rest.

Considering Kim Hee-an’s self-control (and the white flame in his chest), it had been a perfectly realistic plan.

But it couldn’t be helped.

If I got desperate, I could convert Innate Vital Energy into Essense, but then I’d have nothing to give to my spirits.

Just let one of them take the bait.

*

I booked a restaurant with private rooms.

Obviously. What good would it do to advertise this?

“To the prosperity of Narak, the guild of criminals!”

…Right.

Anyway, this ‘Lord of Lust’ trait, especially the ‘Authority – Lust’ skill under it, was a bit ambiguous.

[Authority – Lust: The authority of the Lord of Lust. Those who look upon the Lord of Lust will have their mental defenses weakened and be afflicted with an aphrodisiac effect. You can also perceive the degree of their lust.]

‘Authority – Lust’ was a skill that lowered the mental defenses of anyone who looked at me and, on top of that, applied an aphrodisiac effect.

But what if that skill was a passive?

What if I couldn’t control when it activated?

Was I really going to have to play a ‘100-person game of tag’?

Just in case, I put on the mask I always carried and pulled up the hood of my robe.

It was an outfit that, as someone once said, was perfect for ‘getting the cops called on you,’ but…

A 100-person game of tag vs. getting reported to the police.

…The choice was obvious, wasn’t it?

I walked slowly, sticking to the emptiest alleys I could find on my way to the restaurant.

The white flames in the chests of the people who glanced at me as they passed grew slightly larger.

They were only glancing because my outfit looked suspicious, though, and they seemed to just brush off the growing lust.

Still, the size of everyone’s white flame… hmm… It was a far cry from Kim Hee-an’s.

Kim Hee-an, what in the world are you…?

A few people looked at me and met my eyes, the only part of my face not covered by the mask, but I made it to the restaurant without any trouble.

I was a little early, but I figured I could just wait inside. It was better than wandering around outside, fanning people’s flames.

*

They were all already here.

Before I could marvel at their diligence, I was stunned by the size of their white flames.

I hadn’t even taken off my mask or my robe, but look at them flare up.

The people outside hadn’t known I was the cause of their rising lust, so they’d just moved on.

But the people here had all seen my face at least once.

And they probably joined because of it…

And, as befitting a group of criminals, the average size of their white flames was quite large, wasn’t it?

For reference, the size of the white flame seen through ‘Authority – Lust’ indicated the degree of ‘lust.’

Not ‘sexual desire.’

If ‘sexual desire’ simply meant a carnal urge, the dictionary defined ‘lust’ as an unrestrained, immoderate sexual desire…

Yes. Unrestrained.

The moment I entered the room, a chorus of flaring white flames greeted me.

The one with the smallest flame was…

Park Se-hyuk.

It even grew for a moment before starting to shrink again.

You’re confirmed as the Vice Guild Master.

He was the only one who knew why I’d created the guild, so I was planning on making him Vice Guild Master anyway, but now I had the perfect justification.

“…It’s good to see you all.”

“Ah, Guild Master.” “Greetings!” “You’re here?” “Hello.”

My life as a Guild Master starts now.

*

First, we introduced ourselves and made small talk.

The atmosphere was light and cheerful, and no one shared the kind of intimate stories Kim Hee-an had.

We weren’t drinking, and there were too many people.

Only the white flames slowly grew in size.

Even Park Se-hyuk’s white flame, which had been shrinking, had reversed course and was now growing.

Et tu, Se-hyuk?!

As we chatted about this and that, the topic of Kim Hee-an naturally came up.

“Why isn’t he here?”

“Ah, he said he had something urgent to take care of.”

“But isn’t he the one who won the date?”

“Yes. We went to see a movie together yesterday.”

…

Hah, what was this subtle tension?

It was fleeting, but it was definitely tension.

“What’s he like?”

“Well, he’s fine, I guess?”

To be honest, Kim Hee-an was probably quite infamous. After all, he couldn’t even control his sex drive and got kicked out of Merci Academy, a place that had guaranteed his future…

But everyone here had skeletons in their own closets, so that topic never came up.

The moment it did, it would be ruin for everyone…

Was this what they called ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ before the age of Gates? A situation with no winners, only losers—

Trill-ring—

Just then, a phone rang.

Speak of the devil. It was Kim Hee-an.

“Excuse me, I need to take this call.”

Creeak—

“Hello?”

“A-gyeol. Now’s the time.”

Kim Hee-an’s voice was a hushed whisper. What? What was he talking about?

“Time for what?”

“I told you yesterday I’d give you my organization. The timing is perfect.”

“What?”

“There was a huge fight between organizations just now. We won, but a lot of our guys are hurt. I’m putting poison in the healing potions as we speak, so hurry.”

“What? There are only six of us, and—”

And I don’t have any Essense right now.

“That’s more than enough, that’s why I’m calling. You’ll never get a chance like this again. I’ve already added the poison, so get to the place I tell you before we’re discovered. I have to go back inside the gate now.”

Then you should have called before you poisoned the potions, not after—

No. What’s done is done.

If I hesitated and he got caught poisoning the potions, the fallout would hit me, too.

That bastard Kim Hee-an. Is he insane?

That guy’s self-control…

I was surprised this morning that he had some semblance of it, but I guess he must have borrowed it from somewhere else.

Calling me only after he’s already set things in motion—

Ah, whatever. If things go south, I’ll just have to seal Seo A-gyeol away for a while.

“Fine. I’m on my way. Wait for me.”

A thought flashed through my mind.

“Ah, can you add an aphrodisiac, too?”

“Huh? Why? I can, but…”

“Add that, too. Oh, and can you come out when I give the signal?”

“What? What signal?”

“It’s one of my skills. You’ll feel it. When I send the signal, come out quickly. I’m hanging up now.”

SLAM!

“Everyone, listen up.”

All eyes snapped to me.

“It’s our first mission.”

Haaah, Kim Hee-an, you really…

“It’s dangerous. I’ll explain on the way. It’s truly dangerous, so if you want to back out, do it now—”

That stupid idiot with no self-control…!

“But for those who participate… I’ll give you what you want, as much as I possibly can.”

The guild members’ white flames roared to life.

They were probably letting their imaginations run wild.

And in tune with that inferno, the devil whispered.

“Anything you desire… as much as possible.”

*

“Hey. Hurry up! The potions!”

Hah, fuck… He’s working me to the bone just because he has one thing on me.

“Coming!”

“Ugh…” “Cough, cough!” “Keuk…”

The air was thick with groans. But they were disgusting to listen to.

They were men’s groans, so they didn’t turn me on at all, and they just meant I had a shit-ton of work to do.

Compared to that…

—I told… haah… you. Every time… we do guild activities, huut, I’ll give… you what you want, haah…♥

—Mmm…♥ If you’re going to cum… somewhere awkward, hyut-♥, just do it deep inside me instead….

Hah, just thinking about it made me hard.

She was a shameless little tramp who took birth control just to get a creampie, but damn, her pussy was tight. Must be because she’s only twenty.

Her skin was pale, her face was gorgeous, and her tits and hips were, fuck—

And of all days, they had to start a fight today.

—Get here as fast as you can. If you don’t, you’ll be rotting in a jail cell tomorrow. You know you’re pretty much finished if you get caught this time, right?

If it wasn’t for that, I would’ve drained my balls this morning. Hah, seriously…

“Hey! What are you doing! Get your head in the game!”

Fuck, fine, take it all.

“My apologies.”

“Hah, you disrespectful little shit…”

A war between the organizations had suddenly broken out at dawn. Of course, it was sudden; the other organization launched a surprise attack.

The result was a narrow victory for our side.

But since it started with a surprise attack, we lost a lot of men, and most of the survivors were in bad shape.

We ran out of our supply of healing potions, so I was urgently called in to brew some temporary ones.

Since they were temporary, their effects were weaker, and the members drinking them were in such bad shape that no one noticed me adding the Blue Thorn Thistle extract.

Of course, Blue Thorn Thistle extract is an ingredient used in painkillers. So it’s frequently added to temporary potions like these—

But if you put this much in, it’s a poison. A poison that clouds the senses.

Even if I get caught, what are they going to do? I’ll just say they looked like they were in pain, so I added a stronger dose of painkiller. If they have a problem with it, they can learn alchemy themselves.

And most importantly, when the Black Yew component in the topical healing potions meets the Blue Thorn Thistle extract, it becomes a poison that slowly tangles the flow of mana in the body.

It was something they warned us about again and again at the academy. It was always on the exams.

But the effects get worse over time, so I’m one hundred percent going to get caught…

Was this too rash?

Still, this was too good of an opportunity.

A crisis of epic proportions. An epic one.

We were hit hard by the surprise attack, leaving a trail of bodies, and the ones who are still alive are useless right now.

On top of that, the Boss seems to be in bad shape; he’s holed up out of sight, getting treated by one of his trusted men. Of course, the one treating him is an amateur.

He clearly doesn’t trust me, telling me to stay here and treat the regular members. It’s quite a sight, watching them run around in a panic.

But why did she suddenly tell me to add an aphrodisiac? What’s that for…?

I can make an aphrodisiac easily enough by adding a slight mana property conversion to Starlight Vine berries, but why?

What’s the point of seducing these guys?

They’re all useless right now anyway; they can’t do anything properly.

Hah, but is she even coming? It’s about time she got here. I don’t think I’ll be caught yet, but it’ll be dangerous if much more time passes.

I put a hand inside my coat, and my fingers brushed against a small potion vial.

If things go bad, I’ll just have to spray this and run.

Hah, fuck… Hurry up, hurry up…

But if we take over this organization, what will Seo A-gyeol give me as a reward? If we succeed, it’s all thanks to me.

Her sweat smelled so fucking hot. Should I ask her to let me fuck her unwashed armpit?

Or maybe have her drink an aphrodisiac and then have sex?

She was already a pervert, so what would happen if she drank an aphrodisiac?

Or should I call that other guy and have a threesome? But A-gyeol is too good to share…

Hah, just the thought of it—

‘Come out.’

…That’s the signal.

*

In the distance, that reckless fucking idiot came running.

Seriously, because of that bastard…

[Essense: 6671/19529]
[Innate Vital Energy: 1000+50/1000]

I left about 50 Innate Vital Energy and converted the rest into Essense, leaving me with 6671.

My ‘Innate Vital Energy Conversion’ skill leveled up in the process. My precious Innate Vital Energy…

“Is that… Kim Hee-an?”

“Yes. That’s him.”

We finally met.

“Hee-an. Could you tell us the situation?”

“Yes, A-gye— I mean, Guild Master. The current situation is—”

*

…It really is an opportunity.

Just as that idiot with no self-control said, it’s an opportunity.

The only A-rank, the Boss, seems to be injured, and the B+-rank Vice Leader is dead.

The C-rank officers are also in bad shape, and the remaining D and E-rank members are dazed from the poison and aphrodisiacs.

There were two major problems.

First, our absolute lack of numbers.

No matter how injured they were, there were only six of us.

Second.

“Even if we eliminate all the members here, can we really take over their entire territory?”

“Uh, that’s…”

…This bastard.

“Ah! I know a few of the key officers. As long as we have them, things should run more or less smoothly.”

In that case…

*

Team 2.

Tasked with handling the officers who are either guarding the Boss or commanding the regular members.

Members: Park Se-hyuk, Kim Hee-an, Lee Jin-ho.

“Sir! Sir!”

“I’m busy as it is, what now!”

“There’s a beast-type monster approaching!”

“What? There’s nothing like that here!”

“But it’s heading this way!”

“Hah, dammit, of all the times… Hey, anyone who can fight, follow me! The rest of you, protect the Boss! Lead the way!”

Park Se-hyuk would transform into a werewolf to draw their attention, and Kim Hee-an would lure them in. Lee Jin-ho would lie in ambush nearby, his projectiles ready.

Then, the three of them, with Park Se-hyuk as the main force, would subdue the officers.

Team 3. Reserve Team.

Members: Namgung Yoon, Park Eun-su.

The two of them would observe the situation from a distance.

They would either join me or Team 2, depending on my signal.

Team 1.

Tasked with handling the weakest but most numerous regular members.

Member: Seo A-gyeol.

Amidst the swelling white flames—

A single devil blooms.

“From now on, kill each other.”