14. Uncharted (2)

There was a console game I played a lot when I was young.

An RPG game where you travel the seas to save a companion cursed with petrification. It was one of the series from a famous game developer, but it was the first time the series was released in Korea, so it was incredibly popular at the time.

Until then, I had mainly played simple PC games, so the concept of adventuring the world was new to me, and every element of the game is still deeply etched in my mind.

Conquering temples themed around various elements like fire, wind, and ice, and gathering materials there to create a sword to face the final boss – I thought it was very similar to the current situation.

“I heard a new game came out recently… Come to think of it, I got dragged here without even playing it.”

Recently, they made the game in an open-world format so you can actually walk around the world on your own two feet. But the device needed to run it was expensive, and I was just debating whether to buy it or not when I fell into this world.

“I have to play it when I get back. Hooo… when I get back.”

‘When I return to reality, I must play the new game.’

Suddenly, another reason to return to my original world was added.

I wasn’t just saying that.

Even such a trivial goal can become a ‘motivation’.

Once the original story ends and all the tasks the author gave me are completed, then maybe I’ll be given a choice.

Whether to stay in this world or return to reality.

From the moment I first came here, I decided to return to reality when everything was over, and I still feel that way.

Actually, I’ve been here for almost two months, and it’s not like I haven’t reconsidered that point.

The appearance of the tentacle demons, and the various incidents reported in the news, make me wonder if the [Great Calamity] will really happen as it is.

At most, I estimated the calamity would take a year, or even less.

It was far too little time for Ryu-ssi to awaken the Stigmata once more.

What if the calamity strikes before we are sufficiently prepared?

What if the [Owner of the Stigmata], who is destined to prevent the disaster, dies?

Then the original story will no longer be able to continue, and I will be trapped in this world forever.

Of course, so far, I have thoroughly adhered to the causal relationships of the original work, and most of the events have occurred, so the possibility of Ryu-ssi’s sudden death is also very low.

I’ve already enslaved one of the Great Demons, so it’s relatively easy to grasp the movements of the demons.

Nevertheless, there were still many things that made me uneasy.

In the first place… what will happen to this world that I leave behind?

Lee Ha-yul, Yoo Seol-ah, Seo Ju-ha, and even Siana.

I felt them living and breathing in this world, physically and mentally interacting with them. If I go out of the novel, will they be destined to be trapped in the letters forever?

[Is it right to twist the fate of the heroines with hypnosis and leave irresponsibly?]

My head suddenly throbs.

Perhaps it’s because I suddenly thought about such a heavy topic. Even if I stop thinking and try to cool my head, I still feel an unpleasant throbbing.

[Actually, you want to stay in this world, don’t you? I can feel it deep down, so why do you keep pretending you don’t?]

No. I want to go back.

Don’t judge my thoughts as you please.

It feels like someone is whispering in my ear.

Is it just a fragment of my subconscious, or has another personality been created that I didn’t know about until now…?

“Ji-hu-ssi, are you okay? You suddenly look…”

“It’s nothing. I just suddenly feel a little dizzy, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

Jeong Yewon, who was walking in front of me, noticed that I had suddenly collapsed and rushed to me in a hurry.

Even though I waved my hand, saying I was okay, she looked worried and took something small out of the bag she was carrying and held it out to me.

“I brought some headache medicine just in case. It’ll probably make you feel a little better if you take it. If you’re sick, we’re both in danger, so we have to take care of each other…”

“Thank you. Should we rest for a bit then?”

“Yes, please tell me when you feel better.”

I didn’t want to fall behind the other teams, so I tried to keep walking while enduring the headache, but thanks to Jeong Yewon’s consideration, I was able to rest comfortably for a while.

Leaning against a large tree, I felt the headache ease a little.

What was that whisper from earlier…?

If it were a monster, it would never approach in such a gentle way, so it’s most likely that there’s something wrong with me.

Or, we can’t rule out the possibility that another group is interfering.

Just as I have the ability to control minds, it’s hard to say that there aren’t any Awakened ones who can intervene in human minds and exploit weaknesses.

If it’s really another group, the first thing to do is run away.

Currently, our group is divided into three teams of two, each searching the forest in different directions, so if there’s a difference in the number of people, we can’t win.

“We should have gone in groups of three…”

“Huh? What was that?”

“It’s nothing. Just talking to myself.”

At first, I thought Ryu-ssi’s suggestion to go in pairs was great.

Ryu-ssi must have realized that no monsters had appeared at all, and thought there was no danger.

So the groups were me-Jeong Yewon, Won Harin-Oh Donghun, and Go Ryushin-Pira Hyun.

We started from the outside of the forest in different directions and decided to meet in the center, so we would eventually meet, but it would be a disaster if we encountered another group before that.

For now, nothing was certain.

It’s possible that the voice was simply my subconscious, so I decided to think as positively as possible in these difficult conditions.

“I think I feel a little better now, should we start again?”

“That’s a relief… I was thinking of going back first if you were in too much pain, Ji-hu-ssi.”

I’m grateful that she’s so worried about me, even though we haven’t known each other for long.

[I’m glad I hypnotized her in advance.]

Jeong Yewon will be a reliable asset to me in the future.

Of course, before that, I have to clear up a few minor misunderstandings that have been going on since yesterday.

Considering Jeong Yewon’s subtly prickly attitude this morning, she must still be holding my words against me.

The joke I made in the tent last night was probably the biggest problem.

I threw out those words half to see her reaction, but it must have been burdensome for someone who hasn’t even been deflowered for a day.

“Yewon-ssi, you know that everything I said in the tent yesterday was a joke, right? I was only planning on doing it once anyway, so you don’t have to worry about it…”

“Yes, yes? No? I didn’t think it was a joke at all…?”

Jeong Yewon looked at me with a serious face and said.

Hmm, in her mind, I’ve already become an insemination expert who rapes without caring about what others think.

“Hey, don’t keep holding it in. You can let it all out if you want. There’s only two of us anyway.”

I took a step back and even offered her the chance to tell me anything that had made her angry so far.

Unless she was really hurt to the point of having her heart torn apart by my words, we should be able to reconcile to this extent.

“I really didn’t think it was a joke, and I don’t have anything built up inside…! And there is one thing I want to say…”

“Oh, what is it? It’s easier to cooperate when we have a more comfortable relationship, so feel free to say anything you’re curious about.”

“That… um…”

Jeong Yewon kept stuttering, as if she couldn’t easily say what she wanted to say.

Well, the only question that Jeong Yewon, who has one experience, could ask is ‘Which other woman did you inseminate besides me?’ or ‘I won’t get pregnant, will I…?’

However, I couldn’t help but be shocked again by her words, which she finally managed to utter.

“…I heard you having sex with Won Harin late last night… I, isn’t it troublesome if things like this get found out?”

No, how did she know that?

The tent is soundproof, and the distance between her tent and mine is quite far, so you wouldn’t know unless you put your ear right up against the tent…

In the first place, why would she bother coming to my tent in the middle of the night?

“Um… it’s not really troublesome, but what do you want to say?”

“Eh? I was, um… Ji-hu-ssi threatened me when he found out I was masturbating! Why is this only happening to me…”

It seems that our Jeong Yewon-ssi wants to demand something from me, using the fact that I had sex with Won Harin as an excuse.

And I think I know very well what that request is.

I can’t help but laugh at Jeong Yewon’s behavior, but I decided to indulge her for now.

If I couldn’t hold back my laughter again, she might really get angry at me.

“Ah, now that I think about it, it’s a little troublesome… Would you mind turning a blind eye just once?”

“Hng, hng… Yes, you should have done that from the start…! Then tell me what happened yesterday from now on. While, while shaking your dick…”

Jeong Yewon’s face turned red, as if she was embarrassed even saying it herself.

Hmm, it can be seen as a very similar pattern to what I made Jeong Yewon do yesterday.

It seems strangely arousing to shake my dick alone while she watches, but the problem is that we don’t know what kind of threat we might be exposed to right now.

“Um… could we do it at night? I feel like I’d want to give up on life if someone else saw me doing this in a place like this.”

“No…! Q, quickly take off your panties and take out your dick. Or I’ll get even more angry…”

No, I really want to do that kind of play too.

But I can’t show the other group that I’m masturbating and be branded as a pervert.

I can’t help it, I’ll have to use it this time.

When it seems like I can’t solve it with words anymore, there’s nothing like hypnosis.

“If you don’t do it soon, I’ll tell… ah.”

“Hoo, the performance is reliable.”

The button was pressed, and Jeong Yewon’s urgent words stopped abruptly.

It was a definite trance state.