Chapter 118 Ties of Fate
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Tester Life, Day 44: Morning, Main Plaza.
Sanada Yakumo.
”Good morning, Sanada-san,” a voice called out.
”Oh, morning, Yuki. From the look of things, I’d say the subjugation was a success,” I replied.
As I stepped out of the entrance, I found Yuki standing there, a smile on his face despite the dark circles under his eyes. It was a strange sight; when a man with eyes as sharp as a hawk’s laughed, the contrast made him look surprisingly charming. I had always thought we were two of a kind in the looks department, but apparently, I was wrong.
Well, if a guy like him was looking that happy, there was really only one possible reason.
”Yes! Thanks to your information, Sanada-san, we managed to pull it off somehow.”
”I see. Glad you made it back in one piece. So, were you able to save your sister?”
”Ugh… yeah… I can guess why you didn’t tell me about the side effects of that Crotch Crest¹, but that was cold, Sanada-san. You were definitely getting a kick out of watching me struggle, weren’t you?”
”Hahaha, my bad, my bad. I just figured you wouldn’t be able to focus on the fight if I told you. Besides, it wasn’t like you had any other choice, so why let it weigh you down?” I laughed.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Yuki turning bright red and shooting me a resentful glare. So, he actually went through with it. He crossed that line with his precious little sister.
”Uuu… I kept telling myself it was a medical necessity. But even after the heat should’ve died down, she got… incredibly aggressive. We didn’t stop until morning,” Yuki muttered.
”She probably liked you from the start. She was just holding back because you’re siblings. I’d bet that finally sleeping together just snapped the leash on those feelings,” I said.
It seemed Yuki hadn’t heard from his guide that a slave’s affection jumps every time the master e**culates. That wasn’t the kind of thing they told you during the basic ‘slave handling’ orientation. Yuki seemed like a stoic enough guy, but he was clearly the type who couldn’t talk to women. That likely meant he didn’t exactly have “sparkling” conversations with his guide either.
”You think so? I hope you’re right… but man, how am I ever going to explain this to our parents?” Yuki groaned.
He was already worrying about what would happen when they returned to the surface. Watching Yuki slump his shoulders in despair, I leaned over and whispered something to Sayaka. She gave a knowing smile and headed back toward ‘My Room.’
I spent the next while grilling Yuki for details on the conquest and the loot.
Apparently, the party that finished second only got a copper chest instead of silver from the Area Guardian. Inside the pearl box was a Rank-2 slave exchange ticket and a Magic Pouch. Their total reward was 150,000 DP.
The party that came in third – the second squad – got a copper chest, a 3rd-class slave exchange ticket, a Magic Pouch, and 100,000 DP.
Their succubus guides weren’t Remia; one was blonde and the other had green hair. According to Yuki, both of them acted like they couldn’t be bothered to exist.
Succubi really are a mixed bag, Sanada thought. He’d only hit it off with Remia because she’d heard rumors about him from Lilith and the others. Ever since then, he’d been able to squeeze her for info, but generally, the succubus race looked down on humans as nothing more than livestock. He’d just been lucky.
The rewards for the Area Guardian were exactly as Remia had described. The lower your clear rank, the worse the loot. The 4th and 5th place teams would likely be stuck with 4th and 5th Rank tickets.
For this mission, the Combat Sports Club had stayed split into two parties but worked together to wipe out the Monster House² on the 4th Floor. After uncovering the hidden stairs, each party took turns facing the 4th Floor Guardian and the Area Guardian.
The second squad didn’t have any summoners, but because Yuki’s team had fed them detailed intel after their own fight, they’d managed to scrape by. Five people taking that on was no small feat.
The cost was high, though. Several of them had been mangled, and they’d burned through their entire supply of 4th-grade Potions. Yuki mentioned they’d be taking today and tomorrow off to recover.
When I asked if they’d fought over the slave tickets, Yuki said they’d worked out the distribution beforehand based on the info I gave them.
”Most of the guys who don’t have girlfriends or family trapped here have been using the Wall-Butt³ pretty regularly. A lot of them already have Soul-less Dolls⁴, so that probably helped keep the peace,” Yuki explained.
”I see. So the party ended up about a million DP in the hole?” I asked.
”Yeah. It’ll be docked from our daily shares for a while. I won’t be able to spoil Hina with luxuries for a bit, but she keeps saying this is a hell of a lot better than being stuck in the Training Facility,”
”I’ve heard that place is brutal,” I agreed.
Just then, Sayaka emerged from My Room and handed a paper bag to Yuki.
”What’s this? Wait… underwear?!” Yuki stammered.
”A celebration gift. Sayaka picked it out, so don’t worry, it’s in good taste,” I said.
Since Yuki had succeeded, I wanted to give him a little something. When the sister came up, I’d sent Sayaka to do some shopping. When those girls were first abducted, they usually only had the pair they were wearing. A fresh set was bound to make her happy.
”I-I can’t take something this expensive!”
”It’s not for you. It’s a gift from Sayaka to your sister. Just take it,” I insisted.
”Thank you. Honestly, the prices were so high I’d given up on buying any. Hina’s going to love this. Tsukigase-san, thank you.”
”You’re very welcome. I hope you and your sister have a peaceful time together,” Sayaka replied.
Yuki’s face softened at Sayaka’s words. He was probably imagining his sister’s reaction. What a total sis-con, I thought.
”Actually, Sanada-san… there’s something you should know,” Yuki said, his expression suddenly turning grim.
”What? Why the serious face all of a sudden?” I asked, tilting my head.
”The guys from the Kickboxing Club entered the dungeon early this morning. They usually don’t head in until after noon, but today they were practically racing in.”
”Is that so…”
Are they planning an ambush between here and the teleportation room? Sanada wondered. But is there even a good spot for that?
”Also, I heard that late last night, the sophomores from the Kickboxing and Kendo clubs were throwing a party. A bunch of other students stuck on the 3rd Floor were there too. Only one guy from the Kendo club has been exploring the 4th Floor, and apparently, they cornered him. Someone who was in the plaza said they kept pumping him with booze until he was completely trashed. Arashiyama was watching the whole thing from the sidelines.”
”Ah… so they pried the location of the 3rd Floor Guardian out of him,” I muttered.
Drunk-rolling someone for intel was the oldest trick in the book. High schoolers with zero tolerance would spill their guts in minutes.
”That’s my guess. It’s why they went in so early. Sanada-san, I don’t think you should go to the 4th Floor today.”
So they’re going to blitz the 3rd Floor Guardian and then set up a stakeout on the 4th, I reasoned.
They’d been grinding the 3rd Floor for a long time; there was no way they’d lose to the Guardian now. Which meant an ambush on the 4th was almost a certainty.
”Even if you tell me to stay back… I can’t exactly take Sanae and the others to the 6th Floor while their ranks are still this low,” I said.
That was a lie. Given how they’d fought yesterday and the fact that they were now G+ rank, they could handle the 6th Floor Goblins just fine as long as there weren’t any archers.
But the sheer obsession it took to pull a stunt like this just to hunt me down… if I left this alone, it would only fester.
The grudge from when I’d trashed them for their hazing. The fact that I’d claimed Sanae, the very girl Arashiyama had his sights on. And now, they were using the very booze my progress had unlocked to hunt me.
It seemed I and Arashiyama were bound by a shitty thread of fate.
If I let them be, their hatred and jealousy would only drive them to get stronger by any means necessary. They’d eventually drag Yuki or the baseball team into their mess.
For the sake of my own skin and the safety of my women, it was better to put these rabid dogs down now.
”If you’re dead set on the 4th Floor, I’m coming with you,” Yuki offered.
”You’re supposed to be resting today, remember? Don’t worry about it. It’s not even a guarantee they’re on the 4th yet. If we run into them, we’ll just bail. We’ve got Medals of Return for a reason. Maybe tomorrow I’ll hire the baseball guys as bodyguards while we power-level,” I said with a wave of his hand.
Not that tomorrow is ever coming for them.
”If you say so. Just… be careful. Arashiyama really has it out for you.”
”Yeah, I’ll keep my eyes peeled,” I replied.
With that, Sanada and his group turned and headed for the dungeon.
* * *
”Master, there are two of them,” Sheena whispered.
The moment she spoke, two kobolds rounded the corner ahead.
Whish!
The sound of Sanae’s bowstring echoed from behind Sanada, and an arrow whistled inches above his head.
Yelp!
The arrow buried itself in the lead kobold’s thigh. The creature tumbled forward, its momentum sending it skidding across the stone.
Whish!
Sanae fired again.
The second kobold, alerted by its partner’s fall, began weaving in a frantic zigzag to dodge the projectile.
I stepped forward. As the kobold lunged, I slipped past its claws and swung my machete in a clean arc, severing the beast’s leg mid-stride.
Screeech!
The kobold collapsed, shrieking as it thrashed on the ground.
Sheena moved in instantly, pinning the creature down with a heavy boot to its back. Sanada did the same to the first one, which was still trying to crawl away with an arrow in its leg.
”Finish them,” I ordered.
”On it!” Karen shouted.
”Understood,” Sanae added.
Following my lead, the two girls drew the daggers from their belts and drove them into the kobolds’ throats. Once the monsters stopped twitching, I stepped back and looked at Sheena.
”Well? Are they still back there?”
”Yes. It seems they’re waiting for us to get deeper before they make their move,” Sheena replied.
”Trying to make sure there aren’t any witnesses?”
”That, and I imagine they want plenty of privacy to violate us once they’ve finished with you.”
”Heh, how pathetic,” I sneered.
”Truly. Men in every world seem to have the same one-track mind. Present company excluded, of course,” Sheena said with a smirk.
”I’m honored, truly,” I replied with a shrug, drawing a small chuckle from her.
They’known they were being followed since shortly after they’d stepped onto the 4th Floor. Sheena’s detection range was massive; Arashiyama and his goons were as visible as a neon sign in a dark alley.
They were idiots. You didn’t try to shadow someone on a floor you’d only just reached. If you wanted to stage an ambush, you at least secured a map first. But these guys had just charged up from the 3rd Floor on a whim. Total amateurs.
Did they really think they were that much stronger? Or were they just terrified that if they didn’t catch me now, I’d power-level Sanae and disappear into the lower floors where they couldn’t follow?
Either way, I was reading them like an open book.
I was the one leading them further and further away from the teleportation array, making sure they couldn’t tuck tail and run when things went south.
And they were falling for it, thinking they were being clever by waiting for me to get “trapped” in the depths.
It was almost too funny.
Arashiyama was probably back there right now, licking his lips and thinking he was the predator. The sheer delusion of it made me want to burst out laughing.
Fine by me, I thought. We’re almost there.
Up ahead was a dead-end corridor that led to nothing but a massive Monster House. No one exploring this floor ever went near it. It was a waste of time.
It’s exactly the kind of place you’re looking for, isn’t it? What a coincidence. It’s perfect for me, too.
”Alright, Arashiyama,” I muttered under his breath. “Let’s settle this grudge once and for all.”
—
Summary:
Yuki successfully rescues his sister Hina and reports his progress to Sanada. Sanada gifts them underwear to help with their new life as slaves. Meanwhile, Arashiyama’s group plans an ambush on the 4th Floor, but Sanada is already aware and lures them toward a deadly Monster House.
—
Trivia:
- Yuki and Sanada have a similar physical ‘type’.
- Affection levels for slaves increase upon the master’s e**culation.
- The reward for the Area Guardian depends on the order in which parties clear it.
- Sanada’s progress on the 4th floor unlocked the alcohol that Arashiyama used to trick the kendo club member.
- Sanae is currently G+ rank.
- Sanada is leading the enemies specifically away from the teleportation array to prevent their escape
—
Character Insight:
Sanada demonstrates cold pragmatism; he is willing to gift essentials to allies like Yuki, but is equally ready to lead enemies into a death trap without hesitation. Yuki’s struggle with his sister highlights the darker psychological effects of the dungeon’s mechanics.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Monster House’ is a common trope in JRPGs/Roguelikes where a single room is packed with a high density of aggressive enemies.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Yakumo – A 25-year-old human male. He has facial scars, stab wounds, and gunshot scars from his time in a war zone. He works as a school guard.
• Sana – Black ponytail, hooded/sharp eyes, kyudo practitioner, average height.
• Yuki – A third-year high school student and leader of the Battle Sports Club. He is a national champion in medieval-style combat using swords and spears. He has a severe sister complex. He has hawk-like eyes and a polite but determined demeanor.
• Sayaka – The academy’s premier beauty and a member of the swimming club. Currently classified as a Rank 1 Slave. She is seventeen years old and a virgin. E-cup. She has blue, short, boyish hair. Her best friend is Sanae.
• Remia – A cheerful and mischievous succubus with long purple hair and a massive breasts reaching ‘explosive’ levels. Acts as a guide and explains slave systems. Knows Sanada by reputation. Rank B Mana Capacity. Intelligent and persuasive.
• Lilith – The pink haired maso succubus.
• Sanae – She struggles with the sexual training and often shows frustration. Vice-captain of the Archery Club. Described as tall with a model-like build and sharp features. She has approximately C-cup breasts and is ranked as a 1st Rank Slave. She is Sayaka’s best friend. Black ponytail, hooded/sharp eyes, kyudo practitioner, average height.
• Sheena – Beastman Soul-less Doll with rabbit ears and a large chest. Flawless face, approx 165cm height, F or G cup, narrow waist, large hips, and a fluffy tail longer than a rabbit’s. Now, her ego is back.
• Karen – An international student from America who often runs to school late with bread in her mouth. Considered a ‘main target’ by the protagonist. Voice acting major, huge breasts, same height as Sana.
• Mia – The comforting succubus. Succubus with dark hair, described as a ‘landmine woman’
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply