When I first met Ryu Cheongseol, she treated me with kindness and warmth.
But after arriving at the Hegemon Blade Sect in Lanzhe City and witnessing my sexual encounter, Ryu Cheongseol stopped treating me kindly. The gaze in her eyes turned so cold it sent a chill down my spine.
"Young Master Seong," she said, her voice icy, "if I had known you were this kind of person, I would never have invited you to the Hegemon Blade Sect."
"I don't understand why you're suddenly summoning me to scold me," I replied, feigning innocence. Of course, I knew exactly why she had called me here.
"I despise liars," she continued, her voice sharp. "I might even say I loathe them. And Young Master Seong, you lied to me."
"I've never lied. If I did, please tell me what lie I told. I truly haven't lied."
Ryu Cheongseol glared fiercely at me, a silent pressure urging me to confess. But when I remained silent, she finally spoke.
"You told my father and me that you were friends with Jayoung."
"Yes, we are friends."
"How can you be so shameless? I know you had sex with Jayoung. Are you still going to insist you're just friends?!"
"We are friends. Friends can have sex, can't they? One-night stands are common these days. Oh, is it different in China?"
"This is absurd. I won't waste time. Break up with Jayoung. And swear you'll never see her again."
"Uh... no."
"What?"
She stared at me in disbelief, clearly expecting me to give up Ryu Jayoung without a second thought.
In China, the Hegemon Blade Sect is a force with an S-Class Hunter. Just possessing an S-Class Hunter makes them a world-class Guild. Most men would tremble in fear of their influence and obey Ryu Cheongseol's orders without hesitation.
I'm a disciple of the Yeongcheon Style, but our sect's power is insignificant compared to the Hegemon Blade Sect. Our strength and influence are less than ten percent of theirs.
Under normal circumstances, anyone would do anything to avoid antagonizing the Hegemon Blade Sect.
I would have too. If a woman hadn't been involved.
"...Does Jayoung know you've been seeing other women?"
"Oh, you knew about that too?"
"You think I wouldn't notice when you're doing it every spare moment you get?"
Ryu Cheongseol probably thought she'd stumbled upon those scenes by chance, but the truth was I'd deliberately orchestrated them for her. I'd studied her routine, timing my encounters to coincide with her usual routes.
"They're friends too. What people call 'sex friends.'"
"Does Jayoung know about them? Knowing her personality, she'll never forgive you."
"Jayoung does have a strong will."
I shuddered involuntarily. The murderous intent radiating from Ryu Cheongseol was so palpable it made my skin tingle. I forced myself to remain calm.
It's fine. If things get dicey, I can always run.
"I have a lot to say, but I won't. Break up with Jayoung. And don't approach her again. Father saw your face and said you were a low-class womanizer, and he was right. I never thought I'd see the day his face-reading came true... sigh."
"Whatever you say, Young Lady, I have no intention of breaking up with Jayoung. I'm sure she feels the same way."
"I'm going to tell Jayoung you're cheating on her."
"I'm not seeing anyone else. I told Jayoung I had a girlfriend before, but... the lie was exposed. She probably knows the truth by now."
"Nonsense! If Jayoung knew, she wouldn't stay silent!"
"Believe it or not, as you wish."
I had never explicitly told Ryu Jayoung, but she was perceptive enough to know. Yet she chose to overlook it, understanding my nature: I would never be content with just one woman.
Ryu Cheongseol bit her lip at my attitude.
"...Do you really think Father would let you off if he found out?"
"The Heavenly Tyrant seems to cherish his daughters... He might even try to kill me."
"You're right. When Father's enraged, he knows no bounds. You could genuinely die. So break up with me while I'm being reasonable. This is your final warning."
"I refuse."
As Ryu Cheongseol's face twisted in displeasure and she turned to leave, I continued speaking.
"You're being too hasty. I haven't finished."
"You've already refused my request. What more is there to say?"
"I'm flying back to Korea in two days. I could ask Jayoung to come with me then. What do you think, Miss Cheongseol? Do you believe she would refuse?"
"That's..."
Ryu Jayoung had already shared her body with me, and not just once or twice. Every day, she seeks me out first. If I asked her to come to Korea with me, she would follow without a word.
Ryu Cheongseol, now speechless, must know this too.
"Do you think my father and I would ever allow that? Jayoung isn't going anywhere."
"There are many ways to get to Korea besides taking a plane. Besides, you can't watch over Jayoung her entire life, can you?"
"...Is that all you have to say?"
"No. The real reason I'm here is to make you a proposal."
"...What kind of proposal? Is it about money again?"
"Money means nothing to me. I want you, Ryu Cheongseol. If you come into my arms, I'll give up Jayoung immediately."
"You're insane! Do you really think I would accept such a proposal?!"
"If you refuse, Jayoung and I will go to Korea together."
I stood up from my seat.
"I'll give you until tonight to decide. If you come to my chambers tonight, I'll take it as your acceptance and give up Jayoung."
"..."
I patted her shoulder once and left the room.
Ryu Cheongseol can't make this public. Ryu Jayoung would rebel, damaging the Hegemon Blade Sect's reputation. And Ryu Gicheon would lose control and try to kill me.
I am the Hegemon Blade Sect's benefactor, and China's benefactor. If Ryu Gicheon kills me, it won't just tarnish his reputation. The entire world will condemn him and China.
It seems he cherishes his youngest daughter, Ryu Jayoung, deeply... He'll most likely come tonight. Heh heh heh.
Clang!
I swung my sword at Yuria, but she effortlessly parried my attack with her dagger.
Crackling.
Thunderbolt crackled around my blade.
Yeongcheon Style: Thunder Snake.
My sword transformed into a serpent of lightning, lunging toward her.
Yeongcheon Style: Shadow Snake.
Yuria's dagger morphed into a pitch-black shadow snake.
The two serpents coiled around each other, each trying to devour the other. I frantically moved my sword to avoid being consumed.
Move as fast as possible and knock away Yuria's dagger!
But I couldn't dislodge her blade. The deeper I pressed, the more I felt like I was sinking into quicksand.
This won't do.
I activated Momentary, hoping to end the sparring match and prevent Yuria's dagger from pursuing me.
Yet her dagger continued to pursue me, moving effortlessly as if she knew my every move, parrying my sword without hesitation.
My sword spun through the air before clattering weakly to the ground.
I sighed.
"Damn it. Even using Momentary, I still lost."
I'd sparred with Yuria about twenty times now. With stats identical to mine, I'd thought I might finally win at least once. After all, I had the advantage of using Acceleration Skill.
But I'd never managed to defeat her. It was as if she could see the future.
"Even Momentary doesn't work... What's going wrong?"
"No matter how fast you move, your options are limited in that situation. Since Master and I use the same swordsmanship, predicting your movements was even easier."
Yuria had pointed out a habit of mine.
I was fine at the start of a battle, but as the fight dragged on and I became more immersed, unconscious habits would surface. For example, I would stubbornly aim for vital points even when other targets were available.
Simply put, I tended to move in ways that felt most comfortable to me.
"Yuria, how can I correct this habit? Just continuing sparring matches won't be enough, will it?"
Even though I already knew the answer from our previous conversation, I asked her again out of frustration.
"We must continue sparring. Real combat experience is also valuable. However, during battle, you must constantly think about how to move and how your opponent might move. It's easy to let your body flow with the rhythm of combat, but you mustn't."
Yuria had given me the answer.
Keep thinking.
But this wasn't something I could control at will. Of course, I thought during battles, but what she meant was changing my perspective on thinking itself. If my thoughts remained the same, the outcome would inevitably be the same.
"Master, it's almost evening. Shall we stop here?"
"...No. Let's continue. You have less than half your remaining time in this reality. I can't afford to miss this opportunity to have you at the same stats as me."
"Understood."
I picked up the sword that had fallen to the floor.
After finishing a late dinner, I sat naked on a chair in my room, waiting for Ryu Cheongseol to arrive.
It's unlikely she won't come, but if she doesn't... I'll have no choice but to go find her myself and use Ryu Jayoung as leverage.
Ten o'clock at night.
The cool weather made me yawn. Without a knock, the door opened, and Ryu Cheongseol entered, wearing the same gray martial robes she'd worn during the day.
She flinched at the sight of me, but quickly closed the door and walked toward me with feigned composure.
"...Why are you undressed?"
"This is my room. And I always sleep naked."
Ryu Cheongseol glanced around the room for no particular reason before sighing.
"You'll keep your promise, right? The one about breaking up with Jayoung if I spend today in your arms."
"Of course. But not just for today."
"...Are you suddenly changing your mind?"
Ryu Cheongseol glared at me, the murderous intent radiating from her making my skin prickle. She seemed even sharper than she had earlier in the day.
"I never said it was only for today. Tomorrow, and every day until you leave to catch your flight, Miss Ryu Cheongseol will keep me company. If you can't agree to that, please leave my room now."
"...Fine. I'll keep you company. But you must keep your promise. If you break it..."
"Understood. Don't worry. I'll break up with Jayoung."
Of course, it was a lie.
Break up with Ryu Jayoung? What a joke. Ryu Jayoung had already passed the audition to become my fucktoy. Our arrangement was settled. To avoid raising suspicion from the Hegemon Blade Sect, we'd pretend to be strangers. She promised to come find me in Korea once she became an A-Class Hunter.
"First, take off your clothes yourself," I said arrogantly, sitting back in my chair. As I watched Ryu Cheongseol's face, my cock slowly hardened. She hesitated, clutching her clothes, before reluctantly beginning to undress.
As her clothes fell away, her large breasts, wrapped in bandages, were revealed.
"Jayoung also uses bandages... Do all the women of the Hegemon Blade Sect bind their chests?"
"Jayoung is just copying me. In my case, my breasts are so large that they'd be too cumbersome without compression."
"You seem less embarrassed than I expected. Jayoung was terribly shy at first."
"This isn't my first time. And there's no need to be embarrassed over something like this."
I had already suspected it wasn't her first time. Didn't she mention having four boyfriends? It was likely she had been intimate with at least one of them. But the slight trembling of her body suggested she wasn't particularly experienced.
Swoosh. Ryu Cheongseol unwrapped the bandages compressing her chest.
Slosh!
"Oh... Ohh...!"
Breasts larger than watermelons swayed wildly. Her milk-white skin contrasted with the light brown nipples. As large as her breasts were, so too were her nipples, their color a rich brown, resembling the size and shape of pacifiers commonly used by poor infants. The areolae were enormous, nearly half the size of my palm.
"To think they're big enough to overwhelm me... What cup size are these, exactly?"