Yua Dokjon (2)

CRACK-! CRUUNCH—

A gate under the control of Yua Dokjon.

A training golem shattered under my fist.

Normally, they weren’t so easy to break, but the lightning element imbued in my punch had destroyed its magic circuits.

– Haa… I suppose I have no choice.

– In that case…?

– In return, I’ll be sure to take what I’m owed.

– Thank you…! I’ll seriously give you anything I can!

Right. If things got messy, I could just go into hiding as Lee Han-gyeol. I could probably get by for a while by squeezing my teammates at Elemental for contribution points.

Since the rumors were already spreading anyway, I simply walked brazenly into the Yua Dokjon guild headquarters with Yoo Ha-jin.

The rumors must have truly been making the rounds, because all eyes were on me. And—

With every stare, flames of lust flared to life.

Since they’re all physical enhancement types, their lust burns with a different kind of intensity.

If things go south, I’ll just have to suck them dry of their Innate Vital Energy and bolt.

First, since I had previously applied for their internship program, I decided to milk its benefits.

The first of those benefits was this: demonstrating my abilities against these training golems, then receiving a consultation on my future development.

Ignoring the consultant’s dubious expression, I began to destroy the golems one by one.

Whether I burned out their magic circuits with fire or zapped them with lightning, the golems shattered with ease.

In a flash, twenty golems lay strewn across the floor. With that, I went to receive my consultation.

“Uh… that was impressive. Your name is… Ms. Seo A-gyeol?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I don’t think there’s much to consult you on… you’re just that strong… The way you used skill combos to destroy all the circuits was incredible. And those circuits aren’t just for golems; they’re modeled after the ones that flow through the human body… Considering that, I’d say you have… an advantage in interpersonal combat?”

“What would be the best way for me to improve from here?”

“At your core, you’re a brawler… so it would be best to learn something like martial arts. Whether your fists are imbued with an element or you’re using another skill, the essence of the act—‘dodge and strike’—remains the same. You applied for the internship, right? That means you can take martial arts classes.”

“Martial arts classes? I don’t think I’ll have the time…”

Even if I left Blue Forest to run on autopilot, my life as Lee Han-gyeol was about to get busy. I needed to lay the groundwork now, just in case the succession battle went sideways.

“Is that so? Then I don’t think you necessarily need to take them. To be honest, it’s not like you lack combat sense. Besides, the instructors don’t have the same skills as you, so real-world experience might be better for you anyway.”

Perfect. This meant I could go straight into the field.

Of course, I already had a contract allowing me to clear gates under Yua Dokjon’s control, but the consultation was a procedural requirement. It was an evaluation to determine whether I needed additional training or could be deployed immediately.

What I had just received was permission for immediate deployment.

Now that I had the green light, I planned to clear gates with Yoo Ha-jin and cherry-pick all the best resources.

As I came out with my permission slip, Yoo Ha-jin, who had been watching from outside, spoke.

“No matter how I look at it, you seem like a perfect fit for our Yua Dokjon guild. …Not that I’m forcing you to join.”

And whose fault is it that I’m going through all this?

I wanted to punch him in the solar plexus, but for now, we were in the same boat. The thought of draining him for a long, long time to come cooled my anger a bit.

“When can we go to that gate? The ‘Oasis,’ I mean.”

“There? As it happens, I made a reservation to use it today… Since you got permission, we can go right now.”

“Excellent! Let’s go at once.”

Operation: Bleed Yua Dokjon Dry, commence.

*

The gap between the mega-guilds and the smaller guilds showed no signs of closing.

The reason was simple: the mega-guilds had already claimed every single useful gate.

The political world had long since fallen to the lobbying of these powerful guilds, and since it was nearly impossible to recover a body from inside a gate, no organization dared to make an issue of it.

The Awakeners of smaller guilds—and even the non-Awakened—could only dream of the day they might join a mega-guild.

Meanwhile, the Awakeners belonging to those same mega-guilds grew stronger, enjoying every possible benefit.

It was the natural order of things for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer.

Fortunately, I was now part of the establishment, one of the ‘rich’ in this equation.

But that didn’t mean I could relax.

Just as I had seized this power in an instant through my Awakening, it could vanish just as quickly…

A succession battle was the perfect time to have that power snatched away.

But conversely, a succession battle was also the best time to seize power.

I was resentful at first, but as time passed and I mulled it over, a certain enthusiasm began to build within me.

With my escape route as ‘Elemental’s Team Leader Lee Han-gyeol’ secured, there was no reason not to throw myself into this with everything I had.

Even if I had to leave eventually, I was going to suck them dry before I went.

The first step was—

Gate 6, also known as the Sixth Gate.

A gate owned by the mega-guild Yua Dokjon.

At first glance, it was another world of nothing but desolate desert, but its true value lay in the oases scattered across the sands.

They said that simply soaking in the water of an oasis, imbued with high-density magic, could not only heal the body but also raise one’s magic power stat.

There were massive oases and tiny ones, but our destination was one of the latter.

It was a place where the magic density was highest, operated on a reservation-only basis for a select few.

The larger oases boasted vast surface areas, but in inverse proportion, their magic density was relatively low, so they were open to all guild members.

Using my connection with Yoo Ha-jin, I was heading straight for one of the small oases available only to a privileged few.

Yes, this was the least he could do.

“I wondered just how huge it would be, and it really is massive, isn’t it?”

This was no oasis from a comic book. It was about the size of Seokchon Lake, maybe a little bigger.

Judging by the changing rooms nearby, it seemed to be a professionally managed facility.

Under the shade of palm trees, a noisy crowd of Awakeners chatted away, their bulging muscles on full display in their swimsuits.

“Yes. It’s one of Yua Dokjon’s points of pride. The place we’re going is smaller than this.”

Yoo Ha-jin seemed to scan the Awakeners chatting in the shade, then fixed his gaze on a distant point and spoke in a low voice.

“Those are my eldest brother’s Awakeners. Let’s pass by quietly.”

As the youngest, Yoo Ha-jin had three older brothers.

Excluding the third brother, who was not an Awakener, the other two were his rivals.

Right now, his eldest brother’s faction was said to be the largest.

“…Alright. We’ll pass by quietly, for now.”

*

Following a path that wound through the undergrowth, I saw a few Awakeners standing guard.

“This is it. The ones with the black armbands are guards… the rest are my eldest brother’s people.”

Given the environment, everyone was dressed in relatively revealing attire. All those muscles were, well.

Hmm… B-rank, B-rank, C+-rank, B+-rank, B-rank, oh, an A-rank.

“You said your eldest brother is the one in the oasis right now?”

They said every second spent soaking in the oasis was precious, so we had arrived early.

If the person using it before us was someone we had a difficult relationship with, this could be a bad move. Still, he insisted we had to come early.

“…Speak of the devil, here he comes now.”

Someone was walking out from beyond the bushes.

“The family resemblance is definitely there. …And he’s spotted us, too.”

A muscular man in a swimsuit, a towel draped over his shoulders, approached us. The group around him followed suit.

He looked even more like his brother up close. Of course, the older one was far more brawny.

If he and Ha-jin fought one-on-one, Ha-jin would definitely lose.

It was a good thing strength wasn’t the only thing that mattered.

“Youngest.”

“Brother.”

“We seem to be running into each other a lot lately. And who is this?”

“Hello. My name is Seo A-gyeol.”

“Seo A-gyeol, Seo… A-gyeol. I see. A pleasure to meet you.”

There was no reason to refuse a handshake. I took his proffered hand.

My slender, pale fingers seemed to be swallowed by his massive palm.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. That you have a connection with my little brother.”

“It just sort of happened.”

“Just sort of happened… Well, I suppose connections are easily made.”

“…Brother. I believe our time is up, so we’ll be heading in now.”

“Go on.”

The eldest brother, Yoo Cha-jin, released my hand and led his group away. A few of them turned their heads to glance back at me.

Judging by the flames of lust, their intentions were far from pure.

…Then again, for a succubus like me, is that a good thing?

In any case, only the two of us and two guards remained. When the time came, one of the guards asked.

“Are you Mr. Yoo Ha-jin, who made the reservation?”

“Yes.”

“The precautions… shall I go over them?”

“That’s alright. Let’s go, Ms. A-gyeol.”

We passed the guards and entered the thicket between them.

The deeper we went, the richer the green became and the rougher the undergrowth grew. If not for the path, it would have been a nuisance to walk through.

Soon, the sky opened up, revealing a turquoise pond surrounded by bizarre-looking trees.

The magic concentration was so high that a heat haze seemed to shimmer over the water’s surface.

The water was clear and transparent, and a few glittering grains were embedded in the fine sand at the bottom of the pond.

“…Come to think of it, Ms. A-gyeol, you didn’t bring a swimsuit.”

…What a pathetic line. A cheap trick.

“Didn’t you say it has to touch the skin anyway?”

It was a shallow, clumsy attempt, but there was no reason I couldn’t play along.

Srrk—

The cool air brushed against my bare skin.