In Ark's underground prison,
The incarcerated delinquents buzzed with gossip from the outside, relayed by the guards.
"They say the disciplinary president lost her constellation!"
"Is that for real? Another one of Kim Taeyang's schemes?"
"Gotta be! Maybe… the disciplinary committee's really gonna collapse!"
"Heh heh heh. Ark conquered by delinquents! We might get out soon!"
The excited prisoners cackled until a soft, chilling voice silenced them.
"Quiet."
"…!"
Flash-!
"Ugh…!"
A holy light burst from the center.
It was so blinding that the criminals, accustomed to the dark, scurried away like cockroaches.
"Kim Taeyang… Perfect. Thanks to him, 'we' can finally get out."
"…"
The prisoners fell silent.
The reason was simple.
She was the most notorious felon, locked up the longest in this dungeon.
The woman who subdued them with a single word was Michaela.
She unfolded a note passed to her through a guard.
[Hey. I've taken control of the disciplinary committee, so I'll get you all out soon.]
[By Kim Taeyang.]
It seemed cool yet somehow idiotic.
Regardless, Kim Taeyang's dominance over Ark was real.
If he was planning to free Michaela, he must have a reason.
'If it's a negotiation, I can steer it in my favor.'
Michaela was a smooth talker.
Even a big-shot delinquent would end up a fool, bouncing around on her silver tongue.
"Michaela! You've got a visitor—Kim Taeyang from the disciplinary committee!"
Finally.
Kim Taeyang came to see Michaela.
'He's huge…'
Her first impression: Big.
Kim Taeyang was massive.
"Huh? This chick's Michaela?"
"…"
She'd heard he had a foul mouth, but to start with "chick"…
It shook her mentally, but Michaela wasn't one to crumble so easily.
"Alright. Nice to meet you… Let's skip the small talk and get to the point. You'll free us? What do you want?"
"Your constellation."
"?"
Kim Taeyang was way crazier than expected.
"Kkubburi!"
"Kkubburi-Kkubburi~"
Whip!!
His whip lashed out.
Kkubburi instantly bound Michaela's body, hoisting her into the air!
"Ugh…! What are you…?!"
Assuming Kim Taeyang was an ally because of the note was her mistake.
If she'd kept even a shred of caution, she wouldn't have been caught so easily.
As Michaela struggled, the ropes tightened, stimulating her body.
"Ogok?!"
'It won't come loose…!'
"Heh heh heh. No use struggling. No chick can escape Kkubburi's tortoise-shell binding!!"
With that, Kim Taeyang shouted "Let's go!" and pulled out some documents.
A flashlight hanging from Michaela's skirt floated up.
It was her constellation, Luminous, the Guide of Light.
Luminous lit up, inspecting the contract closely.
"This contract… where'd you get it?"
"Huh? A flashlight dares to get cheeky with questions?! Just fulfill the contract!!!!"
Michaela bristled at Kim Taeyang's bellowing.
"How dare you speak to my constellation like—"
"Kkubburi-Kkubburi~"
"Ongooohhh…?!?!"
But Kkubburi's tightening ropes subdued her easily.
"This… it's already stamped from long ago, so I can't refuse… Sorry, Michaela."
"Hey, stop whining and come along!"
"Eup…?"
Kim Taeyang grabbed the flashlight and made it kiss the contract.
It glowed, then got sucked into the contract.
'He… kidnapped my constellation…?!'
Michaela's constellation was stolen in an instant.
"Lucky…!!! Got a 9-star Light attribute constellation with a pre-stamped slave contract!!!! A dumbass constellation signing contracts willy-nilly, I'll eat it up!!!!! I'll even taste its sexy stigma you haven't experienced yet and return it, so you just tremble there waiting for your filthy flashlight to come back!!!! Heh heh heh heh!!"
"W-Wait! What does that even mean…?"
"Hey! Visit's over!! Let's go, Kkubburi!!"
"Kkubburi-Kkubburi~"
Slip-
Thud!
Kkubburi released Michaela.
Freed, she faceplanted onto the floor.
"…"
A calm after the storm.
It had been chaotic, but now it was unbelievably quiet.
"What… just happened…?"
Coming to her senses, her constellation was gone.
Trapped as she was, all she could do, as he said, was one thing.
Tremble and wait for her defiled constellation to return…
'Kim Taeyang…! I won't forget this humiliation…!!'
Michaela shook with rage.
***
Back at Kim Taeyang's place.
Click.
Seol Harin sheathed her sword.
No matter how pissed she was, she couldn't just slice up her sunbae…
Instead, she channeled a legendary soccer player, planting her foot and unleashing a full-power instep kick.
WHACK-!!!
"KYAAA?!!"
The intense impact hit Chloe's butt!
She thought she'd been smacked with a baseball bat…!!
'He spanked that other girl's butt so eagerly! Why's he doing this to me?!'
Chloe rolled across the floor.
Feeling a chilling presence, she looked up and finally grasped the situation.
"S-Seol Harin…? W-Why are you here so early…?"
"Chloe sunbae. What's with this vulgar behavior?"
"…"
Vulgar.
A deeply humiliating choice of words…
'I can't deny it…!'
Dressed in a cat cosplay, shaking her butt at the entrance, begging to be spanked…!
And getting caught by Seol Harin, not Kim Taeyang…!!
The epitome of vulgarity!!!!
"N-No, it's not like that… I was… yeah…! Planning a surprise event for Taeyang!!"
"What kind of event?"
"He… likes seeing girls humiliated, right? Like using vibrators in front of others…!"
Step-
Seol Harin took a step closer.
Just one step.
WHOOOOOSH…!!!!
"Ugh?!!"
An oppressive pressure crushed Chloe's body.
A bone-chilling cold was a bonus.
Seol Harin.
The girl hailed as the next Swordmaster.
If there were a people-intimidation contest, she'd win gold.
Her strength was overshadowed by Kim Taeyang, but her aura was overwhelming, even for Disciplinary President Chloe.
"You're under a funny misconception, sunbae."
"M-Misconception…?"
"Taeyang doesn't enjoy seeing just any girl humiliated."
"Then…?"
Seol Harin slightly lifted her T-shirt, revealing a tacky piercing dangling from her navel.
"He enjoys seeing me humiliated."
"…!"
A cold smirk curled her lips.
It was unmistakably the smile of a victor…!
"Ugh…"
Chloe bit her lip.
She deliberately caused herself pain to cool her head.
And then, this junior in front of her suddenly felt infuriatingly smug.
Chloe shot up from the floor.
'Why am I cowering?! To a mere freshman…!'
Truly befitting Ark's Disciplinary President.
Radiating heat to match Seol Harin's chill, she fired back.
"Oh, really? For someone so special, he sure enjoyed messing with my Lashara. He was having a blast. How do you explain that?"
"He messed with your constellation just to piss you off. And watch your mouth. Lashara's gone. It's 'Kkubburi' now."
"Pfft! You just want to believe that, don't you? From what I see, Taeyang doesn't think you're anything special. You and I are just slave sows, nothing more. Right?"
"No matter how late you joined, how clueless can you be? You know nothing. We've been on a fantastical, romantic date that ordinary people couldn't even imagine."
"Laughable! That wasn't a date—it was a slave walk!! And you, a freshman, don't you think you're getting cocky? Acting high and mighty when you've only been a sow a few weeks longer than me!!"
"I'm not acting high and mighty. The hierarchy's already set by our titles. I'm just a sow, no qualifiers. But you're a 'mini' sow, aren't you? Even your brain can figure out what that means, right? I'm the original sow, and you're just an imitation."
"You insolent little…!"
"You vulgar woman…!"
Boil boil boil…!!!
Their tempers flared to the tops of their heads.
Chloe and Seol Harin were both fuming.
"Wanna settle this for real?"
"If I didn't plan to settle it, I wouldn't have opened the door."
Shing-
Seol Harin drew her sword.
Chloe reached for Lashara, only to realize it was gone, and pulled out her backup weapon, a magic pistol.
A thought briefly crossed her mind.
'Why am I doing this…?'
Do I want to be Kim Taeyang's favorite?
Am I in love with him?
It didn't feel like that.
She just craved the pleasurable, addictive touch of Kim Taeyang—his shouts and degradation.
Chloe quickly sorted her thoughts.
'This brat's trying to hog all the good feelings…!'
To Chloe, Kim Taeyang was "something that feels good."
And Seol Harin, constantly checking and pushing her out, was "a thorn in her side."
"Let's make this clear. What happens to the loser?"
"They give up cleanly."
"Give up being a slave sow and return to being a free person… Did I get that right?"
The winner stays a sow.
The loser is freed and becomes a free person…!
It felt backward, but that's how it was decided!!
"One more thing. The loser never goes near Taeyang again."
"Bring it on!!"
Just as the fight was about to start, a thunderous roar cut through.
"Hey!!!!!!"
A voice like lightning, blasting their eardrums…!
"What're you sows doing with a sword and gun in my house?! The only blade a sow should hold is a kitchen knife!!! The only trigger a sow should pull is a detergent spray bottle!!!!"
At Kim Taeyang's bellow, Seol Harin quickly sheathed her sword.
Chloe, with a reluctant "tch," put away her gun.
"Where the hell have you been?"
"None of your business. More importantly, mini sow, what's with that ridiculous outfit? You think being called a sow means you're actual livestock? And of all things, a cat costume with no livestock value? How dumb are you?!"
"I-It's…!"
"You haven't forgotten you're the disciplinary president, have you?! You're supposed to uphold dignity as president!! You flipped out at me over dress code violations, and now you think this is a normal student outfit?!!"
Seol Harin whispered to Kim Taeyang with a sly smirk.
"I told you, didn't I? Her value as a slave is low."
"Huh? Sow!!! Don't get cocky just because you were the first livestock! Guide your junior sow properly!!!! Why're you fighting like you're gonna kill each other?!?!"
"Tch, it's not…"
"You're the only sow who can take on the senior role…!!!"
"!"
-You're the only sow who can take on the senior role.
With a slight softening, it could be interpreted like this:
-The only one I can trust with such an important task… is you, Harin. You're the only one for me… I can't do this without you… Please, just this once…
This guy's just got a rough mouth.
Deep down, he's a profound man.
"…Hmph. Guess I have no choice but to help."
Seol Harin answered, forcing down a twitching smile.
It was a bit distorted, but still.
Her mood had noticeably improved.
***
The day of the field training arrived.
I headed to the training site with Seol Harin, Pomi, and Kkubburi.
"Coming to the beach feels awesome, doesn't it?!!"
We arrived at a dock with boats.
Finally, a place that matches this damn beach full-set outfit…!
I'm no longer a fashion terrorist!!
I'm a best-dressed guy who perfectly fits the seaside vibe!!!
"It doesn't exactly feel like a vacation."
"Huh? You're wearing a cow bikini instead of underwear and you're talking nonsense?"
"Tch, that's…! Only because you insisted!! Pervert…!"
Seol Harin was right.
I told her to wear the cow bikini instead of underwear.
Not because I'm a perv…
[Wearing a swimsuit at the beach.]
[Feeling oddly refreshed…!]
[Agility +1]
[Ally's Agility +1]
It's for a minor stat bonus event.
+1 might seem trivial now, but stack it up, and it snowballs into the difference between clearing or failing.
Plus, in Academia, every dungeon has a chance to melt clothes.
A service scene setup, you could say.
Traps and monsters use erotic liquids as weapons that dissolve clothing.
Those liquids can't melt magical artifacts, though.
That's why I made Seol Harin wear the cow bikini.
To prevent her from ending up naked and corrupted.
"Heh heh heh. Hey, be careful not to tear your clothes in a fight. Can't let that scrawny childhood friend see the lewd bikini I got you."
"…I'll make sure he never sees it, so stop talking nonsense."
Seol Harin blushed.
If Kang Juhyeok saw her bikini, NTR coins would pour in.
But the thought of him seeing it kinda pisses me off.
Wait…
Why does it piss me off?
Seol Harin's not even my girl.
Anyway.
Our destination wasn't the beach itself.
The assigned dungeon was floating out at sea.
"There it is. The ghost ship."
The Ghost Ship Dungeon.
Inside its treasure chest lies the legendary sword.
But the sword is broken.
It's only restored to its full form by Kang Juhyeok's constellation, Plancel, becoming an ego sword with cheat-level performance.
It was originally Plancel's weapon.
She'd probably drool and have an earthquake in her pupils if she saw it.
I'm curious how Plancel will react when she sees the holy sword in my hands…!