Nishioka Ken, hospitalized in a private room at the city's finest hospital, sat on the bed, his entire body wrapped in bandages except for his head, and both arms in casts. He stared blankly into the air, his expression utterly vacant.
Ken had been fortunate. Immediately after escaping the Maze, he received emergency treatment from nearby Hunters with healing abilities and Shrine Maidens from Fuka Shrine, who used Yin-Yang Art to revive him from the brink of death.
Yet Ken couldn't bring himself to feel lucky. He would have preferred to die.
This was because, just two hours earlier, a doctor had delivered the news that marked the end of his life.
"Mr. Nishioka's calves and knees have been completely destroyed by the Black Howling Spider's venom. Since the venom was lethal, we had to amputate to save his life."
"Are you kidding me?! Who do you think you are, cutting off my legs?! Are you some quack? Get the hospital director here!"
"...I understand your anger, Mr. Nishioka. But please remember, before I retired seven years ago, I was an A-Class Hunter. Keep that in mind."
The doctor's eyes were icy. He handled the situation with practiced ease.
"..."
Ken, who had been shouting insults at the doctor, fell silent. A retired A-Class Hunter might no longer be an active Hunter, but their residual power would still be at least C-Rank level. More importantly, their connections couldn't be ignored.
"You'd better suppress that temper from now on. You're no longer a Hunter, but an ordinary person. If you can't control your rage, tell me. We have several excellent psychiatrists at this hospital."
"...Me, an ordinary person? Bullshit... No, what are you talking about? I'm a C-Rank Hunter! I have the ability to manipulate flames! A severed leg is nothing I can either reattach it or use a magical prosthetic...!"
"Tsk. I haven't finished speaking yet. Listen to me until the end."
The doctor clicked his tongue demonstratively. He was usually kind to his patients, but he had no intention of being polite to a delinquent youth with bleached blonde hair and a dark tan. To make matters worse, Ken was spewing insults.
"The toxin has affected not only Mr. Nishioka's legs but also his spine. This has paralyzed your lower body, and you'll likely experience stiffness or awkwardness when moving your right arm. Naturally, any strenuous movements will be impossible."
"...I'm paralyzed from the waist down...?" Ken muttered in disbelief. Something unimaginable had happened. He would never recover unless he received a special treatment available to only a tiny fraction of the world's population.
Not that he was even the type of person who could access such treatment in the first place. But even if he did, a full recovery would be unlikely.
The doctor continued speaking to Ken, who was so overwhelmed by despair that he couldn't even accept the reality.
"The Black Howling Spider's venom has damaged your Mana Core and Qi and Blood pathways. You will no longer be able to use Mana. We tried our best to restore them, but it was impossible."
Ken flinched in shock.
His lips trembled violently. He was more devastated by the loss of his Mana than by the paralysis of his lower body.
"I... I'm Mana-impotent?!"
"Yes. To put it crudely, that's correct."
"Me...! Me! Mana-impotent...!"
"...Hmm."
"Mana-impotent! Uwaaaaaaaah!"
Ken howled in despair.
The doctor understood. Losing Mana was a profound loss, especially for someone who had once possessed it. Some Hunters who lost even a portion of their Mana were so overwhelmed by the sense of loss that they committed suicide.
"Mr. Nishioka, if there's any good news at all, the Association has covered all your medical expenses. They're also planning to compensate the victims of this incident. Given your circumstances, you should receive at least 30 million yen."
"That's... supposed to be good news?!"
"I understand your rage. I'll let it slide this time."
The doctor rose from his chair and walked toward the door, saying to Ken, "We'll conduct another examination in two weeks to determine if you can be discharged. In the meantime, get plenty of rest."
"Uwaaaaaaaah!" Ken howled. The doctor didn't even glance back as he left.
Ken didn't throw a tantrum. Or rather, he couldn't. Even moving his body was difficult in his current state.
An hour earlier, an executive from the Wind God Guild had visited him. He was no longer affiliated with the guild.
"Nishioka Ken. It's a pity things have come to this."
"...What do you mean? I'm not dead yet. I can still use my ability. Once my Mana Core recovers...!"
"Isn't that Mana Core severely damaged?"
Mana Core.
Different countries, sects, and individuals called it by different names. Martial artists often referred to it as the Dantian.
"The Mana Core can be restored, can't it?!"
"Are you out of your mind? Do you even know how expensive it is to hire someone who can restore a Mana Core?"
He knew.
It would cost at least several billion yen.
He also knew that countless Hunters with damaged Mana Cores still operated in the world, and that they weren't motivated by money alone.
"When I joined the Wind God Guild, you clearly promised to support me with all your resources!"
"That's right."
Niisoka Ken was a prodigy. A true genius who became a C-Rank Hunter at the age of 23, just a year ago. While there was no guarantee he would reach S-Class, he was a promising candidate to climb to the upper echelons of A-Rank.
"But even support has its limits. We can't sacrifice half the Guild just to save one person. It would be far more beneficial to hire dozens of A-Class Hunters instead. If you have any sense, you can't argue with that."
"I... I can become an S-Class Hunter!"
"You lack brains. I'm terminating our contract. Good work. We won't be seeing each other again. Oh, and the boss of the Small Scale Society has his eyes on you. If you have any savings, hire some protection B-Rank or higher. Tsk tsk. Why did you mess with a Yakuza boss's woman?"
He turned to leave.
Ken gritted his teeth and shouted after him, "The contract! Have you forgotten the contract we made?! What right do you have to unilaterally terminate it?!"
The executive stopped and glanced back, his cold eyes regarding Ken with disdain.
"A contract can be terminated with mutual consent. You're voluntarily withdrawing from the Guild. Isn't that a more elegant solution for both of us?"
"I-I'll sue you!"
"I wouldn't recommend that. You have absolutely no chance of winning. Besides, you want to live a long life, don't you? You're only in your twenties, with a bright future ahead."
"..."
Ken fell silent. He knew it was impossible to oppose the Wind God Guild.
"I'll be going now."
Ken stared blankly into the air, his future feeling bleak. With his savings and rewards combined, he had barely 100 million yen a ridiculously small sum. Hire a B-Rank Hunter? 100 million yen wouldn't even cover a month's salary.
Bang!
The door burst open. Someone entered and slammed the door shut behind them.
Ken listlessly glanced at the entrance.
His face brightened. It was Misa.
Two years ago, he had rescued Misa from a perilous situation in the Dungeon and helped her quit her mind-numbingly boring job as a Shrine Maiden. Perhaps because of this, Misa usually did as he asked. Even her dyeing her hair blonde and tanning her skin brown were at Ken's request.
"Misa! I knew you'd come! You're the only one for me!"
"...I'm glad you seem to be feeling better," Misa replied. She was wearing a long coat she rarely wore. Winter was still a few months away, making it a bit early to wear such a heavy coat.
Ken felt a growing unease. Something was different. Why wasn't she coming closer? Why were her eyes so emotionless?
"...Do you know what I've been through? That damn Wind God Guild... Ah, Misa, you're still affiliated with the Wind God Guild, right?"
Misa nodded. Though not as talented as Ken, she was still an exceptional Hunter who had trained as a Shrine Maiden at Fuka Shrine. Unlike Ken, she was perfectly healthy, so the Wind God Guild would never cast her aside.
"Can you talk to the Wind God Guild for me? If you spoke to the Guild Master directly..."
"There's no way I could talk to the Guild Master. Even if I could, it wouldn't make any difference."
"...Ah, damn it. You're right."
Ken noticed Misa still hadn't moved closer.
"...Misa. I've wanted to say this for a long time... and now seems like the right moment. Let's get married. I've been thinking about marrying you since the beginning."
"Don't lie. You were just planning to play around with me until you found someone better, then throw me away."
"M-Misa? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"...I thought it was love. But after thinking it over, it wasn't. I only felt indebted to you for saving my life. And now I've repaid that debt. You're alive because of me."
"Misa...?"
"Let's end this. Even looking at you now, I feel nothing."
Ken broke into a cold sweat. He had no friends. Well, he used to, but not anymore. Those friends were ordinary people, so Ken unilaterally cut ties with them. They would only be burdens, not sources of help.
Family? He had grown up under his grandmother's care, but she had passed away three years ago.
"T-this is a rash decision, Misa. Come closer. I know you're upset with me. Let's talk it out. And take off that stuffy coat while we're at it."
"The coat... right. I understand. I'll take it off."
Thump.
The coat fell to the floor.
Ken's eyes widened as if they might tear.
Beneath the coat, Misa was completely naked not just naked, but deliberately posed.
She slightly bent her knees and spread her legs, ensuring a clear view of her body. She also raised her arms in a question-mark shape, exposing her cleanly shaven armpits.
Whirr.
Small vibrating toys were attached across her chest.
Below, more toys rested against her most intimate places, arranged there by her own hand before she came.
Her thighs, stomach, sides, and breasts were covered in obscene graffiti and words: Black Pig, Slut Pussy, A+++ Tits, and more.
But what stood out most clearly to Ken was the sentence written across her stomach:
Yujin's Chosen Lover.
Yujin. How could he not know that name?
"No... could that bastard...!"
"I've decided to be Sung Yujin's lover of my own free will."
Bang!
The door burst open. Sung Yujin, the man Ken wanted to kill more than anyone else, strode into the room.
"Nice hospital facilities, huh? Heh heh heh."
Sung Yujin smirked, closed the door, and stood beside Misa.
Slap!
"Aangh!"
Sung Yujin's hand struck Misa's ass before sliding up to her shoulder, draping his arm around her. His other hand naturally began fondling her breasts.
"These tits always feel so good to touch."
Sung Yujin mocked Ken mercilessly before turning his head and opening his mouth. As if waiting for this signal, Misa immediately slipped her tongue into his mouth.
"Mmm... smack. slurp..."
Sung Yujin and Misa began a deep, wet kiss.
"What the hell are you doing in front of me?!" Ken roared. Sung Yujin broke the kiss.
"Can't you see? We're kissing. Honestly, you have no sense of the situation."
"You bastard...! Do you know where you are?! Get out of here before I kill you! Get out now!"
"You're going to kill me? You?"
Whoosh!
A flame erupted in front of Ken, no larger than a child's fist. Sung Yujin scoffed at the pathetic display.
"Give it up. You can't even use Mana properly, let alone your ability. If you keep making a scene, you'll only drag your life further into the gutter."
"Killing you would be..."
"Think rationally. You can't possibly kill me. More importantly, have you forgotten who Misa chose?"
"...!"
Misa was affiliated with the Wind God Guild, but that wasn't why she stood here now. She had made her decision herself, and Ken could do nothing but glare.
The flames vanished. Ken bit his lip, glaring at Sung Yujin.
"Heh heh heh. Watch closely from there. See what happens after she leaves you behind. Misa, if you still want this, come here."
Misa met his eyes, then lowered herself to her knees of her own accord. Sung Yujin stepped toward her, leaving her room to stop if she wished.
"You know what to do only if that's truly what you want. Show him your answer."
"Yes, Yujin..."
Misa placed her hands on Sung Yujin's hips and leaned in to please him.