"Your face looks like it's rotting."
At Kang Seok-soo's words, I hurriedly composed my expression. I hadn't dreamed I'd run into him here, so for a moment, I lost control of my face.
"What a coincidence. You know this is a no-combat zone, right?"
There must be cameras outside and association staff monitoring. If we fought inside the cabin, the association would intervene within a minute. And we'd both be eliminated together.
"I know. I don't plan to fight here."
That much was believable. Kang Seok-soo was clearly aiming for victory, so he'd follow the rules of Dungeon Survival.
While Kang Seok-soo and I stared each other down, Han Ha-rin, who was behind me, moved first. She glanced at Kang Seok-soo, then turned away and began inspecting the cabin's interior.
"That woman seems intent on resting. You should do the same instead of worrying about us. Isn't that why you came here?"
Kang Seok-soo spoke to me.
"Don't try anything funny. I'll be watching."
I gave Kang Seok-soo a warning before following Han Ha-rin.
My stiff expression still hadn't relaxed.
'Ugh. Fuck.'
Nothing but curses came to mind.
'No matter how I look at it, we're screwed.'
The rest area could only be used once a day, for just one hour. The cutoff was midnight. I'd come here thinking it'd be a waste to lose the chance if I arrived past midnight, but now it felt like a mistake.
'If we'd come an hour later, we wouldn't have run into that bastard.'
Pondering if there was any way out, I followed Han Ha-rin and suddenly stopped when I saw the blonde woman appear. She was part of Kang Seok-soo's team.
Fresh out of the shower, her blonde hair was wet, and she wore a robe over her slender figure. Her long, smooth limbs were attractive.
"Huh? You guys came here too?"
She didn't even seem to care that her collarbone and thighs were visible through the robe. A very open-minded woman.
While we silently stared at her, she looked at me and Han Ha-rin and smirked.
"You two are that kind of couple, huh? I could tell right away."
I almost gasped. To think she'd figure out our relationship so quickly. I knew she wasn't ordinary.
"Stop with the nonsense and move aside, please?"
Han Ha-rin coldly retorted.
"There's a bathhouse over there. Separated by gender. It's not big, but it's decent enough. Since we're here, why not introduce ourselves? I'm Yoo Jeong-mi. A D-rank Hunter working with Seok-soo."
"...Han Ha-rin."
Han Ha-rin only gave her name before passing Yoo Jeong-mi and heading into the bathhouse.
"Big chest but icy attitude. What about you, lightning boy?"
Yoo Jeong-mi asked me. If it had been Kang Seok-soo instead, I'd have flipped him off immediately, but she was a stunning beauty.
"Seong Eugene, leader of Team Gukcheon. Are you and Kang Seok-soo lovers?"
"Lovers? No. We went to elementary, middle, and high school together. We've been friends since we were kids."
So they were childhood friends.
"I guess you could say we're more than friends but less than lovers? Seok-soo only sees me as a friend, though."
Yoo Jeong-mi smiled cryptically. She seemed to have some romantic feelings for Kang Seok-soo.
"I see. Then I should take a bath too. Our time here is limited."
"Yeah. The women's bath has good hot water."
"I'm sure the men's does too."
"You're surprisingly decent? When I saw you destroy the supply box earlier, I thought you were even more eccentric than Seok-soo."
"That was just for the show. Viewers remember characters like that more."
I said with a smile. Though, in truth, it wasn't an act. I genuinely believed that if I couldn't have it, I'd rather destroy it—hence why I used lightning to destroy it.
"Well, take care. Oh, there's a laundry room on the second floor."
"Thanks."
We parted ways amicably. Even though we were competitors in Dungeon Survival, in the end, it was just a TV show. No need to hold grudges over what happened on air.
'Well, Eun Sang-min probably wants to kill Kang Seok-soo, though.'
Even if he didn't die, he had to endure the pain of his entire body burning for dozens of seconds. It was only natural he'd hold a grudge.
'I didn't expect Eun Sang-min to get eliminated just three hours into Dungeon Survival. This is a pretty big crisis.'
We'd lost over 30% of our combat strength. Not ideal when I'm aiming for victory after joining.
'...Eun Sang-min, you fucking idiot. As a C-rank Hunter, shouldn't you have watched out for traps?'
A bastard who's never been useful in my life.
I mentally cursed Eun Sang-min but stopped, knowing it was pointless now.
'Let's think positively. Thanks to that bastard getting eliminated, it's just me and Han Ha-rin now. Without him, as long as we're careful with the cameras…'
I glanced left and right. The door on the right was labeled "Men," and the one on the left was labeled "Women."
Naturally, I opened the women's bath door. Inside was a small changing area with four lockers, robes, towels, and disposable items like shampoo and toothbrushes on a table.
I peeked into the bathing area. The low transparency only confirmed someone was inside.
'Must be Han Ha-rin. I saw her go in earlier.'
There were only two women in this building: Han Ha-rin and Yoo Jeong-mi. Since Yoo Jeong-mi was outside, it had to be Han Ha-rin. I quickly undressed and opened the bathroom door.
There was a tub, but it was a wooden barrel.
Han Ha-rin had claimed one of the two showerheads.
"Wh-What? Why are you here?! The men's bath is next door!"
"Come on. I'm here to help you wash, Senior."
I smirked sinisterly and approached her. Han Ha-rin sighed after seeing my erect cock standing tall.
"We're being filmed. Can't you hold out for a week?"
"Don't think I can, Senior."
I inched closer to her.
"And this is a rest area—no cameras, no spectators. It's fine."
I reached out both hands toward Han Ha-rin. Each grabbed one of her massive H-cup breasts. But they were so big that my hands couldn't fully cover them.
"...Haah. Fine. Just once."
I slid my left hand down and touched her pussy. It was hot and wet.
And not just from the shower.
***
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue while looking out the second-floor window of the rest area.
Outside the cabin, Kang Seok-soo's team of three sat against a tree, waiting for us.
This was exactly why I'd thought we were screwed the moment I saw him here.
Kang Seok-soo's team, having arrived before us, would leave the rest area first and wait for us to come out.
The no-combat rule only applied inside the cabin. The moment we stepped outside, they'd attack.
'Damn it. They've set up trap magic around the cabin.'
Magic circles were drawn near the cabin. I couldn't tell if they were the same ones that instantly eliminated Eun Sang-min, but trying to escape through the window was definitely out of the question.
If we went out, we'd 100% fight Kang Seok-soo's team. Considering his strength and their numbers, we'd likely lose. We had to avoid a direct confrontation.
'The problem is, Kang Seok-soo's team has no reason to back down.'
Those bastards would definitely stay the night. One would keep watch while the other two slept against the tree.
If we stepped out, they'd fight and eliminate us. If we didn't, we'd take the penalty. Either way, they didn't care.
'We're seriously fucked.'
This thought had crossed my mind the moment we ran into them in the rest area.
They'd stay until at least 5 AM. At 6 AM, the supply boxes would be delivered. They wouldn't want to miss two in a row.
'The penalty for overstaying in the rest area is -3 survival points per minute. Even if it resets at midnight… that's at least -900 survival points.'
Considering that hunting a D-rank Giant Scorpion only gave 5 survival points, -900 was a massive loss. At that point, winning would be impossible.
"You cowardly bastards!!"
I shouted out the window. If I didn't, I'd probably die from pent-up frustration.
"Cowardly? This is a legitimate strategy. If you were in my position, you'd do the same."
In a way, it was like the ancient concepts of siege and defense in war.
"Hey, cut us some slack!"
I swallowed my pride and begged. But Kang Seok-soo shook his head.
"You only have two choices. Come out and fight us, or stay holed up like mice."
Clearly, he had no intention of backing down.
'And what's with the "mice" comment? Does this bastard know this is a TV show?'
I subtly glanced to the side. Four association staff with cameras were filming us from a distance. Kang Seok-soo, being a strong contender, had a lot of cameras on him.
Attacking from inside wasn't an option either. That'd mean instant elimination.
"...I won't forget this!"
I slammed the wooden window shut irritably. Then I looked down. Han Ha-rin was on her knees, quietly sucking my cock. I asked her:
"Senior. What should we do?"
"...Hmm. Maybe pretend to fight and run?"
My cock slid out of her mouth, glistening with saliva.
"They're prepared, so escaping won't be easy."
"You're the team leader. I'll follow your call."
Han Ha-rin stood up. As she dressed, she checked her condition, likely assuming I'd fight Kang Seok-soo.
I looked at the tablet.
Time remaining in the rest area: 4 minutes and 20 seconds.
I set the tablet on the table and pulled Han Ha-rin into my arms.
"You're not seriously thinking…?"
"Probably. Yeah."
My hands began groping her ample chest and ass.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"No choice. Our chances of escaping are slim, and winning is impossible. So staying inside is the right move."
I buried my face in her neck, kissing her collarbone.
"Ngh… What about the penalty?"
"Can't be helped. We'll just have to take it."
"Giving up?"
"No. Survival points are just one of the victory conditions in Dungeon Survival."
Dungeon Survival was, as the name suggested, about survival.
The last one standing wins. Survival points were only to determine the winner among the final survivors.
In other words, if you eliminated everyone else before the end, you could win even with zero survival points.
"Senior. You trust me, right? We can win."
"...You're sure about this?"
"Of course. Just like with the special mana massages, have I ever lied to you?"
Han Ha-rin began gripping my cock with her pale, slender hand. I took off her clothes and led her to the bed in the corner of the room.
***
4:00 AM.
Kang Seok-soo stared at the cabin.
After taking turns sleeping and keeping watch with his teammates, the results were clear—Seong Eugene and Han Ha-rin hadn't left the cabin. It seemed they had given up and were just sleeping.
If it were me, I'd rather come out and fight.
Giving up without even fighting was pathetic. Of course, they weren't officially eliminated yet. But with survival points around -900, they might as well be. There was no way to win with that score.
Beside him, Choi Sa-hyun, who had just woken up, was staring at the cabin with a groggy expression.
"Choi Sa-hyun. What do you think?"
"...I don't know. There seems to be a barrier around that building. Yesterday, I thought I was just too tired to sense it, but... no. It's a barrier beyond my level."
Choi Sa-hyun was a combat mage who specialized in detection. His ability allowed him to sense people, monsters, and unusual objects within a 300-meter radius.
"So that's how it is."
Kang Seok-soo nodded indifferently. There was indeed a barrier around that building. From the outside, it was hard to analyze the interior, and if a battle broke out inside, it would immediately send a signal to the Hunter Association.
"Seok-soo, it's almost 6. Are we giving up on the food supplies again this time?"
***
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