Chapter 6 Grinding in the Easy Zones
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
For the next two days, Charlotte and I truly went at it. We were like animals, losing ourselves in each other until the world outside felt like a blurry memory. We were so tangled together it was hard to tell where I ended and she began, but eventually, reality called. We couldn’t stay holed up in the inn forever.
Still, spending those two intense days together did wonders for us. Our chemistry was off the charts.
”Master Ibuki…” Charlotte would coo, clinging to me. When I’d pull her in and steal a kiss, she’d let out a soft, sultry moan, her eyes turning dreamy as she looked up at me.
”To-today, we’re actually going!” I said, trying to find my resolve. “If we start again now, I’m never going to leave this room.”
”As you wish,” she replied with a playful smile.
I realized then just how head-over-heels I was for her. She had started to open up, acting a bit more spoiled and sweet. It was great, but I had a difficult request to make before we hit the streets.
”Um, Charlotte? I have a favor to ask…”
”Oh? Why so formal all of a sudden? Please, don’t be cold to me! I’ll do anything you ask, just don’t distance yourself!”
”No, no, it’s nothing like that,” I said, waving my hands dismissively. I took a breath and asked her not to change her clothes for a few more days-to keep wearing the worn-out travel gear she arrived in.
”It feels a bit pathetic to admit, but I don’t have the power to protect you yet. You’re too beautiful, Charlotte. If I take you out there looking like a masterpiece, someone’s going to try and take you from me. I can’t risk that.”
”O-only you would say something like that to me, Master Ibuki,” she murmured, fidgeting shyly. “If that’s how you feel, I don’t mind the old clothes at all.”
With that settled, we left the inn and headed for the dungeon located just outside the town gates. I’d checked in with the Merchant Guild¹-who seemed to have already received word from the palace about my status-and they confirmed I had full clearance to head out.
It felt surprisingly free. If the Kingdom was going to leave me to my own devices, I was fine with it. I’d never forgive them for what they did, but I’d give them a pass on one thing: they gave me Charlotte. Right now, protecting this little slice of happiness was my only priority.
As we walked, I made sure to gather loose branches and stones, tossing them into my Inventory². Storing items barely touched my Mana; the real drain came from Synthesis³ and Processing⁴. My Recipe tab was still mostly empty-I’d hoped my clothes would register automatically, but no such luck.
I hadn’t told Charlotte the full details of my “Crafter” class or my fallout with the King. She seemed to sense the tension involving the Crown, though. When I mentioned my concerns, she actually asked me not to tell her. She explained that if she didn’t know the secrets, she couldn’t accidentally betray them.
”I am here to serve you,” she had said firmly. “There is no room for doubt in my heart, and therefore, no need for me to know what lies between you and the King.”
She was entirely devoted. I wanted her to feel that way because she chose to, not because of the Enslavement⁵, but I wasn’t stupid enough to break the contract before I had a secure foothold in this world. For now, this was enough.
We reached the dungeon entrance, where a pair of soldiers stood guard near a cluster of supply shops. I flashed my Guild Card, and they waved us through without a word. I gripped the two swords I’d refurbished using Synthesis-they looked brand new and felt perfectly balanced.
”Charlotte, the first floor is a cakewalk, right?”
”Yes,” she replied confidently. “The monsters here are so weak a toddler could squash them. I could handle them bare-handed if I had to.”
That was a relief. We hadn’t walked far before the first monster appeared: a giant, bloated caterpillar.
”Watch out, Master. Those spit a viscous silk that’s incredibly sticky.”
”Is it dangerous?”
”Not really. It’s just annoying. They’re so slow you’ll have plenty of time to shake it off.”
It was a far cry from the epic battles I’d imagined. The caterpillar let out a wet thwip, spraying silk that fell short of my boots by a good foot. It wobbled toward us with agonizing slowness.
”Is… is killing these things really going to level me up?”
”Oh, yes. You should hit level three in no time. If we keep up a good pace, we can finish the first few floors today.”
”Alright then. Let’s get to work.”
I stepped forward and drove my sword home. The blade bit through the soft hide with a clean hiss. The creature gave a solitary writhe and went still. I stashed the carcass in my Inventory and kept moving.
”Master, you know you can’t sell those low-level carcasses, right?”
”Maybe not to a merchant, but they’re raw materials for me. I’m not leaving anything behind if I have the space.”
She didn’t push the issue. We moved quickly, one-shotting every caterpillar in our path. Before long, we reached the stairs to the second floor.
”Should we keep going?”
”Yes. Up to the third floor, a decent weapon is all you need. With your gear, this is practically a stroll.”
On the second floor, we encountered “Bat Mimics”-plump, heavy-bodied creatures that flapped noisily but moved like they were flying through molasses. I swung my sword in a practiced arc, bisecting one mid-air.
”Splendid!” Charlotte cheered, clapping her hands.
”I’d be worried if I couldn’t handle that much,” I joked. “When does it actually get hard?”
”Usually the fourth floor is where the real fighting begins. Combat classes start to struggle around the eighth, and the tenth is strictly for veterans.”
So the difficulty curve was steep. The King mentioned that “Heroes” had an accelerated growth rate; I hoped that applied to me, too. As I sliced through another bat, a sudden jolt of warmth raced through my chest-a rush of pure adrenaline and vitality.
”That was it!” Charlotte noticed my expression. “You just leveled up.”
The “Isekai” dream was finally feeling real. We pushed on to the third floor, where the number of Bat Mimics increased, but their lethargic speed remained the same. However, in my excitement to grind, I lost track of the layout.
”Uh… Charlotte? Which way was the exit?”
”I… I’m not sure, Master. I’m sorry.”
”It’s fine. The map in the shop didn’t look that big. We’ll just follow the right-hand wall until we hit the stairs. Besides, I have enough food in my Inventory for a week.”
She gave a little giggle. “I suppose that’s one benefit of your ‘preparations’ back at the inn.”
”Hey, I wanted to be ready for anything,” I teased.
We continued our sweep, but the atmosphere changed when we stumbled upon a massive fissure in the cavern wall. It was a jagged, dark crack that looked deep enough to hide an entire sub-level.
”I’ve never seen a structural anomaly like this in the upper floors,” Charlotte whispered, her voice dropping an octave.
”Let’s not risk it. If the dungeon is shifting, we should head back.”
As we turned to leave, a lone Bat Mimic fluttered out of the crack. I swatted it down and stashed it, but then a low hum began to vibrate through the floor. Suddenly, dozens of bats began pouring out of the fissure-at least fifty of them, with more shadows detaching from the darkness behind them.
Individually, they were jokes. But in this volume, they were a living curtain of flesh.
”Charlotte, back up! We need to pull back until we have some breathing room!”
I wasn’t panicked-they were still slow-but my gut was screaming. A swarm this big didn’t just happen. Something much bigger was lurking in that crack, and I didn’t want to be around when it decided to come out.
”The moment you see something big or unusual coming out, we retreat immediately.”
”Ye-yes!”
With that, I backed up to the very edge of where I could still see the monsters emerging from the hole and continued to slash away at the bats.
It was quite a distance away, but I didn’t see any particularly strange monsters coming out.
As I kept defeating the bats that emerged one after another, by the time I was a little out of breath, they were all taken care of.
”Hmm, this is a problem,” I muttered, breathing heavily and thinking about how tired I was.
”Eh, is there a problem!?”
”No, it’s just that we’re lost right now. And yet, I’ve gone and gotten a bit tired.”
When I replied, Charlotte laughed with a troubled expression.
”Geez… you startled me. Well then, shall we move to a safe place and then take a rest?”
”Right. Well, let’s walk until it gets tough, and if we still don’t know where we are, we’ll rest.”
As we started walking, it didn’t take long before we found the stairs to the fourth floor.
Finding these stairs meant I knew the way back, and I exhaled a sigh of relief.
”I suppose if I’m going to put in a report, I’ll need a mapping from here to the hole.”
As I spoke, I used Processing⁶ to turn a branch I’d picked up into paper, and while finishing the paper, I added a simple map as if adding a handle.
Once the path was clear, we started walking, and though we were exhausted, the thought of being able to get out kept us moving without stopping until we were outside the dungeon.
It was already quite late.
The guard soldier also had become just one person.
”You’re quite late,” he called out to us.
Apparently, it was almost time for the gates to close; usually, if people stay out this late, they camp out.
”Yes, we had a bit of a problem,” I said, explaining that there was a hole in a wall and we were held up by a massive swarm of monsters coming out of it.
”Wha-what!? Isn’t that a sign of a Stampede⁷!! What floor!?”
”Ah, it was the third floor. We defeated the several hundred that came out.”
”Oh, the third floor. Well, that’s a relief then. But an investigation is necessary. Thanks for the report.”
After finishing that somewhat anticlimactic exchange, we returned to town and made it through the gates just before they closed. Feeling relieved, I made the same report at the Guild.
However, nothing in particular was asked of us, and we were released just like that.
Charlotte and I, exhausted, arrived at the inn and settled down. Finally able to rest, we let out a breath and shifted into idle chat.
”So that’s how a Stampede happens.”
”I learned that for the first time too. It certainly would be terrible if something like that happened on a deep floor.”
”I bet. I’m really glad it was a weak floor.
If my Charlotte had been turned into ‘damaged goods,’ just thinking about it… I can’t help but worry.”
When I confessed my anxiety like that, she leaned against me.
When she whispered in my ear, “Yes♡ I am yours♡,” a shiver ran down my spine, and I pulled her close while fondling her breasts.
”Ahhn♡,” Charlotte let out a voice, her cheeks flushing as she turned an expectant gaze toward me.
”Are you seducing me? What a bad girl. But did you know? Actually, I’m a bad boy too.”
Laughing as I said that, I gave her a kiss. She kissed me back, and when I asked “What was that for?” and gave her another, she replied “Ufufu♡” and we repeated this until, as usual, we turned into monkeys today too.
”Aahh♡ It feels so good! Right there♡ I love you so much!”
”Do you like it here?”
”It’s not… that I don’t, but… aahn♡ Ibuki-sama⁸ daisuki nanoo♡”
Charlotte is G-spot and the very back, both she seems to like.
Now G-spot with standing back I am attacking. The p**sy’s swollen part I press with my hand, and thrust from behind so it hits the spot, she cries with a good voice.
But, only in the shallow place I get painful so always quickly I put it into the deep place.
And when I thrust the very back, the shrieks of pleasure become even more intense.
Such shrieks of hers I enjoyed to my heart’s content and came inside.
She even did the clean-up fellatio politely, so unintentionally I also reach for her body and it almost looped, but today I somehow held on.
”Aahn♡ Fufu, is it one more time? ♡”
”No, if we keep this up, it’ll never end, so let’s try our best to stop here.”
”Ehehe, I’m fine either way, you know?”
”There you go, tempting me again!”
While we were flirting, our stomachs growled, and we finally put our clothes on.
I mustn’t take them off again.
With a will of steel, I brought out a meal from my Inventory into the table.
”Already, there’s no need to divide it, right? Here, say ‘aahh’.”
”Aahh♡ Yes, Ibuki-sama also aahh♡”
Ah, geez! Too cute!!
I’m really no good!
If this was a honey trap, it’s over, right?
Documents with the ‘already ensnared’ stamp would be submitted, right?
I’d be used whenever they want!
Well, even if that were the case, I wouldn’t obediently follow a country like this.
If it came to that, I’d take Charlotte away by force and make her take responsibility.
Responsibility in the name of marriage. As punishment, I’ll make her pregnant for the rest of her life.
I don’t think that’s the case, though.
I’m just becoming so foolishly in love that I’m getting anxious about myself.
With that, being floated by the heat of being too happy, the thought “is this really okay?” couldn’t be escaped, and the time where I couldn’t escape the swamp continued.
But, I need to start moving properly soon, I renewed my thoughts and decided not to strip Charlotte tomorrow.
Yeah. I’ll get serious starting tomorrow.
—
Summary:
After spending two days of intimacy with Charlotte at the inn, Ibuki decides it is time to level up his Crafter class. He requests Charlotte wear her old clothes to avoid unwanted attention from others. They enter the local dungeon, easily defeating caterpillars and bats, but end up lost and encounter an ominous swarm emerging from a mysterious crack.
Ibuki and Charlotte successfully clear a monster-infested hole on the 3rd floor, narrowly avoiding a potential Stampede. After reporting the incident to a relieved guard and the Guild, they return to their inn. The exhaustion leads into a passionate s*xual encounter, followed by a domestic dinner where Ibuki reflects on his deep infatuation with Charlotte.
—
Trivia:
- Ibuki is intentionally keeping Charlotte in ‘ugly’ clothes as a primitive protection method.
- The Merchant Guild was already notified by the Kingdom about Ibuki’s presence.
- Inventory storage cost for mana is negligible compared to active crafting skills.
- Charlotte is explicitly avoiding learning Ibuki’s secrets to protect herself and him from ‘betrayal’.
- Ibuki reached Level 3 within a single day of casual grinding.
- The stairs to the 4th floor were found shortly after they left the battle site.
- Ibuki used a branch and his ‘Processing’ skill to create a physical map.
- The guard mentioned that staying in the dungeon late usually implies camping out.
- A Stampede is a known, dangerous phenomenon where monsters flood out of a floor.
- Ibuki is wary of political manipulation (honey traps) despite his love for Charlotte
—
Character Insight:
Ibuki is balancing his genuine affection for Charlotte with the cold reality of their master-slave contract, choosing safety over idealistic freedom. Charlotte shows deep psychological conditioning or loyalty, actively refusing information to minimize risk.
Ibuki is becoming increasingly self-aware of his ‘brain-rot’ levels of affection for Charlotte, fearing he’s becoming too easy to manipulate. Charlotte remains consistently submissive and affectionate, emphasizing her status as ‘belonging’ to Ibuki.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘monkey’ metaphor for s*xual fervor is a common Japanese idiom (saru ni naru) which was localized here to preserve the intensity of the scene.
The term ‘turned into monkeys’ (saru ni naru) is a common Japanese idiom for lost in lust/primal desire. The ‘standing back’ (tachi-back) position is a specific genre trope often highlighted in light novel romance scenes.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Charlotte – Late‑teen slave girl, short n skinny, messy brown hair, always looks tired but still pushing through. used to be a lvl 8 farmer, now bound to Ibuki by magic. wears rags + slave crest, crazy loyal and blushy around him. polite, loyal to a fault, fights low‑level mobs and sticks close as his partner n guide.
• Ibuki – A broke high school student from Earth, dragged into another world as a noncombat Crafter. A germaphobe who plays it cool but trusts no one. He uses Synthesis, Processing, and Inventory skills intelligently while exploring dungeons. Still wears his school uniform. Dating Charlotte and quietly bitter about everything but keeps moving forward anyway.
• Hero – Ibuki’s upperclassman from Earth—summoned as the naive Hero with emotional, mentally fragile personality. Empathetic yet reluctant and inadequate-feeling, lacking survival instincts and political skills. Currently in despair and terrified by his situation.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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