The softness brought an unexpectedly pleasant sensation—especially when Leo realized that as he rubbed against her, the female trader, who had no will of her own, gradually began to pant and respond in various interesting ways.
Her skin was slightly rough, but very soft, and her feminine scent was far stronger than Erina's. This kind of slightly fleshy body only revealed how satisfying it was when held close.
It was different from Erina's warmth. No matter how well-endowed Erina was, she was still just a girl. The woman in front of him, on the other hand, looked to be nearly thirty.
At first, Leo only held her waist—still slender, but with far more softness than Erina's. But as the friction between his most sensitive part and her skin grew more difficult to bear, he had no choice but to use his hands to stimulate himself.
Her hips were much larger and firmer than Erina's, clearly the body of a fully mature woman. In a world under such immense pressure, even ordinary women would seek small, primal pleasures to relieve stress.
Yet it was obvious this beautiful woman had never done anything like this before—because when Leo checked, his fingers encountered a faint resistance.
So he needed more stimulation.
His hands continued to explore forward, quickly discovering two high, trembling mounds—smooth and pale—separated by an unfathomable valley. A faint, salty stream seemed to flow there, and atop the slopes were two small, inverted "strawberries."
What a strange kind of plant.
Leo had always liked strawberries, and driven by curiosity, his hands explored further—light at first, then more firmly as he indulged that curiosity.
Gentle presses and slow kneading yielded no fruity taste at all. A pity—such fertile soil wasted.
Each time he touched and then missed because of gravity or position, the sense of loss was almost unbearable.
So Leo changed targets.
Seafood.
The brave gourmet's hands continued their exploration downward, passing through a shadowy triangular region. Left and right, he searched, discovering a muddy marshland with damp seaweed piled along the shore—and a protruding pearl clam standing there.
There really was seafood here.
To eat the clam, the pearl had to come first. The gourmet's hands skillfully kneaded and shifted the pearl, trying to remove it carefully.
By this point, the original intent had already changed. Leo's "little brother" was loudly praising his efforts.
What had once been a difficult cave expedition suddenly became smooth. The previously dry, constricted passage filled with moist air, and after the pearl shifted, the path grew even slicker.
Pursuing greater stimulation, Leo—pressed firmly against this treasure—naturally slipped into the space that had already prepared itself. When he broke through the restraint and charged into that longed-for place, he finally realized what he'd done.
"Ah… this…"
Leo could be sure he hadn't planned to go in—but honestly, rubbing like that made it far too easy.
The thick, soft, enveloping sensation was intoxicating. Even though the female trader's face still wore the same smile, his instincts were screaming. Though he felt much better after releasing, he was also trapped—deeper inside was another cavern, contracting constantly, stimulating every nerve.
"Sorry, but…"
There was nothing more to say. He couldn't stop now. Taking a deep breath, Leo continued exploring.
The female trader said nothing—but her body was brutally honest.
"My god…"
Unable to endure it, Leo panted and hugged her full body tightly. After a while, he finally released her, breathing heavily.
She still didn't move—clearly accepting everything he'd given her without resistance.
Leo leaned against a cabinet, staring at her increasingly damp thighs, and felt himself stir again. The realization was unsettling—because even with Erina, he needed time before going again.
Kissing. Teasing. Foreplay.
But now, his body had returned to how it was at sixteen or seventeen.
Back then, though—
He had no women.
So all that energy went into dreams and games.
He reached in, trying to retrieve what he'd left behind—but was met with an overwhelming suction that tightly wrapped around his fingers. The entrance was sealed shut.
Recalling the sensation of being swallowed like prey by a man-eating plant, Leo cursed softly.
"Damn it… this kind of type? Isn't this something that only exists in novels?"
Left with no choice, he entered again, intending to draw it out the only way possible.
Once more, the devouring sensation returned. When the female trader's body reached its limit again, Leo tried to pull out—but the suction was intense. He growled lowly, barely maintaining enough clarity to press down on her lower abdomen, finally managing to withdraw and see some of what he'd left behind spill out.
"This is just…"
He didn't know how to describe it.
He took out a bottle of water to clean her, but since he couldn't change her posture, it was impossible. Shoving the bottle inside was far too extreme, so he smacked her hip instead.
"…Seriously."
Sighing helplessly, Leo hastily tidied up, dressed her again, and before leaving, felt a bit guilty—so he opened her shop and bought a jar of honey.
"Oh, thank you for your patronage."
The female trader spoke again per the world's rules—but Leo froze.
The wetness was gone.
Her thighs. The floor beneath her. All of it—dry.
"…."
Leo stepped back over the counter, quickly undid her shorts again, and reached inside.
Clean.
Everything—what he'd left, what she'd produced—gone. Only softness, warmth, and that squeezing sensation remained.
As if nothing had ever happened.
Aside from slightly disheveled clothes, even her hair was perfectly in place.
"…That's… convenient. I guess."
He didn't know how to complain—but it did make cleanup unnecessary.
Still, he carefully pressed her lower abdomen once more to make sure nothing remained, then finally relaxed.
"At least she won't get pregnant. Probably."
Honestly, Leo felt his bottom line slipping—but there was nothing more to say. He dressed her again and hurried off toward the quest location.
He'd already wasted nearly an hour.
After reclaiming his clothes, Leo ran while dumping the remaining scrap iron into the furnace to smelt into iron ingots.
This was the foundation of everything—non-negotiable.
Reaching the quest site, the familiar yellow exclamation mark appeared again. After confirming it, a large residential house materialized in front of him.
Leo smashed through a window without hesitation, quickly killed the four or five zombies inside, then followed the objective marker to retrieve the briefcase.
After storing it, he pulled out the wrench and began dismantling appliances.
Doorknobs, televisions, fans—he harvested mechanical parts, springs, and even some scrap plastic.
Beds yielded short iron pipes instead, making him curse the game world again.
After stripping the place of anything valuable, Leo returned to the trader, threw more scrap, lead, and brass into the furnace, and turned in the quest.
This reward was another skill point, but the items were underwhelming—a headlamp mod and an iron pickaxe.
Even though he could already craft a pickaxe, he chose it anyway, didn't linger, didn't add points, accepted another quest, and rushed out again.
The third quest was much the same—no danger. The only difference was the food-gathering quest, which required digging up a buried supply crate in the wild. Opening it spawned zombies—but otherwise, it was straightforward.
The reward was generous too, especially since the food didn't need to be handed in.
In just one hour, Leo finished the remaining two quests. The trader had no more.
Looking at the final rewards—an iron axe and twenty Molotov cocktails—Leo nodded in satisfaction.
With the axe came an insulation mesh mod. No hesitation there. The Molotovs competed with a reward of one hundred bullets; after some thought, Leo chose the Molotovs.
He still lacked bullets—but what he needed more was a way to deal with hordes.
With three skill points now available, Leo clenched his fist. The benefits of increased stamina were obvious—tasks that once took two or three hours now took one, and he still felt fresh.
If the trader had more skills to offer, he could've kept going.
"So… strength, or more stamina?"
After some thought, Leo added one point to Strength.
The familiar surge returned—his body felt nourished, infused—but this time, the comfort wasn't as overwhelming. His pack simply felt lighter.
"That can't be all."
He took out the iron axe and tested it—it felt more than twice as light. Swinging it required half the effort.
Meaning his stamina drained more slowly.
"As expected…"
Satisfied, he stowed the axe. Even with increased strength, he still couldn't brute-force zombies. Defense came first. With system tools, durability mattered more than raw power.
Just as he was about to add another point, he remembered his earlier embarrassment. He smiled awkwardly at the female trader, locked the door, blocked the windows again.
This time, he removed her shorts and stood in front of her, bent over awkwardly.
He'd wanted to try this for a while—but Erina's God Tongue would probably make her vomit. Literally.
So he experimented with the will-less trader.
"I really am losing my sense of shame…"
As he spoke, Leo dumped the remaining two points into Stamina.
The sensation was overwhelming—eight times stronger and longer than before. He grabbed the trader's head and plunged in.
Soft. Wet. Strange.
Without her active cooperation, it felt odd—but the pleasure was intense enough that he quickly finished, even seeing some of it emerge from her nostrils.
"Forgot her tongue doesn't move. Average."
With that verdict, still burning inside, Leo moved behind her again, gripping the massive "steering wheel," and spoke with gratitude and apology.
"Sorry. I need to borrow it again."
————————
After settling his physical needs, Leo returned to mining—this time fully prepared.
Iron tools far outperformed stone, and with increased Strength, mining damage rose as well.
The zombie corpses in the mine were gone. He didn't know why, but he accepted it and dug downward, preparing two contingencies.
He wasn't digging straight down. He planned to build a bunker, mine beneath it, and construct a shelter deep underground.
Risky. Tight schedule. But necessary.
Only this way could he understand the blood moon, how he'd survived, and gain enough experience to truly master this world.
A proper combat platform was essential.
Otherwise, even with a trader to vent on, his sanity would eventually collapse.
Because in this world, he couldn't fully trust anyone—not even those sent here like him.
Tsunade and Kelly were familiar characters, yet even after his honesty, they remained cautious.
So the only one he trusted—
Was himself.
As he mined, lost in thought, his pickaxe suddenly struck something with a sharp clang.
He froze.
He'd hit the trader's location.
"…It's invincible even down here?"
Nearly ten meters underground, yet still indestructible.
No matter how hard he struck—nothing.
Frowning, Leo dug around it, carving out a five-meter pit, then struck again.
Clang.
He hadn't thought much of it—until on a whim, he took out a wooden frame and tried placing it on the invincible block.
He didn't expect much. Normally, nothing could be placed near the trader.
But this time—
The frame locked into place.
Solid.
And—
It possessed system item properties.