Another shitty dungeon hunt had ended today.
The party members dispersed, greeting each other while excluding me. Well, it was a familiar scene.
Still, today's earnings were double. But my chest was empty. Even though I knew money wasn't the issue, I didn't particularly want to find another reason.
Going up the subway stairs, I took out my smartphone and opened the Awakened community app. I scrolled down the party recruitment board with my finger and stopped.
‘Any spots for an E-rank dealer?’
The results were dismal. Every single post that came up had the same phrase stuck in the conditions.
E-rank dealer I Seojun applications forbidden.
“...I'm screwed.”
It had been five years since I Awakened. When I rose from F-rank to E-rank, I thought the world was mine, and I believed D-rank was just around the corner. With that belief alone, I'd pulled out bank loans and bought equipment in advance.
But I stopped at E-rank.
To be exact, only my physical abilities had risen bit by bit; I had no skills. From the day I Awakened until now, not a single one.
While others swept up mobs with ranged skills, I had to jump in bare-handed. As that piled up, I became known as a nuisance in parties, and eventually ended up on the blacklist.
“An E-rank worse than F-rank.”
That was the moniker that meant me.
Even after five years, there was no sign of skills appearing. Without fail, only monthly interest collection texts flew in.
‘Should I quit being a Hunter and work as a dungeon guide instead?’
I told myself it was still too early for that. Still, I felt hopeless.
Then a bad thought crept up.
‘Should I join some organization? Even a criminal organization makes money.’
I'd heard rumors that criminal organizations were thriving these days.
Of course, it was just a delusion. It was just that kind of thought occurring to me.
Rolling around such useless thoughts, before I knew it, I was home.
A basement studio apartment.
I took off my shoes and threw myself onto the bed.
I stared blankly at the ceiling.
Suddenly, the F-rank woman I'd seen in today's party came to mind.
I couldn't remember her name. The only thing that came to mind was her bouncing breasts.
Her breasts bouncing beneath her combat uniform, her slender waist, her hips that swayed with every step kept flickering before my eyes.
‘...She was built so fucking fine.’
But that woman had a B-rank boyfriend.
He was the one who made the party. The reason a B-rank gathered E-ranks to form a party was obvious. To bus his girlfriend around and show off.
‘By now, she's probably getting fucked by him.’
My guts twisted. But there was nothing I could do about it.
I put down my smartphone and sat in front of the computer. I picked out an AV from the hub and played it, having a proper happy time for the first time in a while.
And right at the moment I was about to ejaculate.
“Huh...?”
My dick suddenly started burning like crazy. It wasn't burning like I'd been scorched by fire, but rather a heat surging from deep inside my body. It was ominous.
“Fuck, what's wrong with this?!”
The moment I tried to call 119, this time it felt like my head would explode.
“Krrgh...!”
My vision went white. Something reverberated inside my head, but I had no time to care because of the pain.
[Congratulations. Over 11 years, you have achieved 10 trillion sperm and 40,000 sessions of masturbation.]
[Initiating synchronization for reward distribution.]
I gritted my teeth and endured the pain that felt like it would knock me out.
And then.
Ding.
Along with a short notification sound, the pain vanished completely. As if it had never been there from the start, without a trace.
A translucent window floated before my eyes.
[Synchronization complete. We have identified I Seojun-nim's desires.]
[Distributing rewards.]
Ding.
[Infinite Archive]
Menus scrolled down below it.
[Browse]
Browse the countless worlds recorded in the Archive.
[Enter]
Enter the selected world.
[Return]
Return to reality at any time.
[Storage]
Store acquired objects.
[Records]
Check various records and acquired rewards.
‘What the hell is this, and what do you mean 10 trillion sperm?’
The voice saying I'd masturbated 40,000 times came to mind, but I was in no state to worry about such things right now.
I stared blankly at the window and pressed Browse.
Dozens of titles spread out in a list. From erotic novels, manga, movies, dramas, and games I'd watched until now, to creative works I'd never seen before, they scrolled down in a row.
My gaze stopped dead on one of them.
It was the adult game I'd quit playing yesterday.
The story was simple. The old villa owner dies, and his son comes to inherit. While rummaging through his father's belongings, he finds an old pocket watch, and the moment he touches it, he gains hypnosis abilities.
Using that to bring the villa women under his control one by one was the whole plot.
There was barely any story. But that was the advantage. No need to think complicated thoughts—just enjoy the women, and it's over.
So I chose it.
[Would you like to enter The Landlord of Rainbow Villa?]
I gulped.
“This... isn't a hidden camera prank, is it?”
I looked around my surroundings. In the narrow studio, I was alone. There wasn't even space to install a camera.
“Nah, no way.”
Thinking ‘no way,’ I pressed [Yes].
***
The background changed in an instant. And what appeared before my eyes was an old four-story villa.
The paint was peeling, the iron gate was rusted, and the railings were bent here and there—utterly unbefitting the name 'Rainbow Villa.'
“This is really real...?”
My heart pounded like crazy. It felt like five years of accumulated humiliation as an E-rank were exploding all at once.
“Heh... haha!”
A laugh burst out.
After laughing for a while, I looked up at the villa again.
‘Wow... what a miserable state.’
I wondered why anyone would come to such a place. But it was Seoul. That explained everything.
I looked down at my body. Instead of shabby workout clothes, I was in jeans and a hoodie. I touched my face. It was exactly my face.
‘Thank god. I wouldn't want to become a completely different guy.’
That's when it happened.
“Hurk... I'm drunk...”
A disgusting voice came from behind me. I turned around.
The fat landlord I'd seen dozens of times in the game was staggering towards me. A belly flabbily bouncing beneath a tank top, grease-stained hair, drool trickling from the corners of his mouth, a bottle of soju in one hand.
‘Wow, seeing him in person is way more disgusting.’
The landlord stopped right in front of my nose.
“You... who are yooou!”
It was exactly the game's opening scene. He didn't have the hypnosis watch yet. The villa women didn't know anything.
The corner of my mouth twisted on its own.
I quickly scanned the surroundings. A dark alley and a broken CCTV.
The CCTV had been broken for three years.
There were no watching eyes.
“Bastard! What are you!”
I slowly took a step closer.
“You exit here.”
“What?”
I reached out. Even if I'm E-rank, an Awakened is an Awakened. I possessed strength and speed on a different dimension from ordinary people.
I grabbed the landlord's neck with one hand and twisted.
Crk—
It was absurdly simple. In less than 10 seconds, the fat body slumped down.
Thud.
‘...No guilt at all.’
It was amazing. I'd killed a person for the first time, yet my chest felt refreshed instead. Was it because this was a fictional work? Or had I been that kind of guy to begin with? I couldn't tell.
Anyway, I felt good. Something hot writhed deep in my lower abdomen. After killing someone, my sexual desire felt like it surged even more intensely.
‘First, I need to dispose of the body.’
It would be annoying if I were discovered.
I worried about how to dispose of it. Then I remembered [Storage] from the menu I'd seen earlier.
‘Does the menu appear just by thinking about it?’
When I thought of Infinite Archive, a translucent window appeared before my eyes.
I pressed [Storage] on the menu.
[A storable object has been detected.]
[Target: Corpse]
[Would you like to store it?]
When I pressed [Yes], the corpse evaporated instantly.
“...Ha, convenient.”
I lightly dusted off my hands. I entered the villa entrance.
Fourth floor. The landlord's room. From now on, it was my room.
I immediately rummaged through the drawers. A cold metallic sensation touched my fingertips.
A silver pocket watch.
The moment I opened the lid, its method of use engraved itself into my mind.
‘Look into the target's eyes and relay a command. The opponent falls into a suggestive state.’
It was simple. And powerful.
‘If I could take this back to reality...’
I opened [Storage] to put in the watch.
[This object cannot be stored.]
[This is a world-exclusive item.]
‘Ah.’
Regret surged up to my throat. If only I could take this ability back to reality, it would be a life reversal.
‘...Or not.’
There were also mental manipulation-type Awakened in reality. They were all targets strictly managed by the government. If even slightly abused, it was straight to an isolation facility.
‘It's a shame... but, well, who cares.’
I have the Infinite Archive anyway. In fictional worlds, I am the rule, the law. There is no government, no management bureau.
I slowly descended the stairs, muttering.
“Then shall I enjoy myself?”
***
Room 301, 3rd floor.
I pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong—
“...Yes? Who is it?”
A sharp woman's voice came from beyond the door.
I composed my voice.
“I'm the new landlord. Han Suyeon-ssi, could I see your face for a moment?”
The door opened cautiously.
Han Suyeon poked her face out.
Her long black hair was tied loosely. She was wearing a white tank top and dolphin shorts.
It seemed she had been resting at home.
My gaze naturally shifted downward.
Her breasts bounced between her tank top. Her thighs extending below her dolphin shorts were white and firm.
‘...She was just "pretty" in pixels, but the real thing is no joke.’
“Excuse me, where are you looking right now?”
“...Sorry.”
Her eyes swept over my face, showing wariness.
“So what brings you here at this hour?”
I immediately took out the pocket watch from my pocket.
“Han Suyeon-ssi, please look at this.”
“No, coming suddenly at this hour... look at what... look...”
The watch hands slowly turned.
Her pupils began to loosen very subtly.