#198
Wrapped in pleasant repose, Yoon Pa-ran suddenly came to his senses.
“…”
As soon as he opened his eyes, he detected a familiar scent. Though it was difficult to define precisely what the scent was, Yoon Pa-ran could make one judgment:
He was safe, at least.
Having determined this, the drowsiness lingering like a sluggish grub refused to retreat. Swimming in his hazy consciousness, Yoon Pa-ran quietly recalled.
It seemed like he had seen some bright light.
“Are you awake?”
A gentle voice penetrated Yoon Pa-ran’s ear as he struggled to regain his senses. When he finally lifted his eyelids, his vision was filled with a broad chest.
“…”
It was a somewhat indecent sight to encounter immediately upon waking. Startled and blinking, Yoon Pa-ran quickly raised his head toward the source of a soft chuckle.
As he faced Dan Joo-hyuk, his thoughts scattered like white feathers.
“Why are you so dazed? …Was it too much for you?”
After staring at Dan Joo-hyuk’s handsome face for a while, even though he had just woken up, his memories gradually returned.
‘You like it when I stir you up like this, don’t you?’
Heat suddenly rose to Yoon Pa-ran’s cheeks. As memories he had postponed while falling asleep came flooding back, he felt strangely indignant.
Though he had initiated it yesterday, the sex had truly been lengthy. The accessory on his ankle had a stamina enhancement effect, and he had unnecessarily benefited from this excellent item even in bed.
…Surely Dan Joo-hyuk wasn’t insisting he wear it all the time for that purpose?
Anyway, if Dan Joo-hyuk hadn’t activated the skill at the end, it might have taken longer before he passed out. The more he reviewed the entire process, the more Yoon Pa-ran struggled to contain his rising indignation.
Even so, how could he have gone so far as to…
“You…!”
Unconsciously, he reached out to Dan Joo-hyuk as if to grab his collar.
However, contrary to his intention, Yoon Pa-ran’s hand was gently caught by a larger one.
“Yes?”
“Ugh.”
Interlacing their fingers and pulling Yoon Pa-ran’s hand toward himself, Dan Joo-hyuk gently kissed the back of his hand. Startled by the sudden ticklish gesture, Yoon Pa-ran almost bit his tongue.
What was he about to say?
“Nothing…”
Yoon Pa-ran shook his head urgently, trying to clear his mind. However, the more he thought about it—specifically, the more he recalled yesterday’s events—he found himself strangely speechless.
‘I enjoy it…’
Dan Joo-hyuk had been truly strange yesterday.
Yoon Pa-ran already knew that Dan Joo-hyuk had a habit of making people feel ticklish. But yesterday had been much more intense than usual.
Yoon Pa-ran felt as if he had become a feather. It was an embarrassing expression, but Dan Joo-hyuk’s actions had been exactly like that.
Later, Dan Joo-hyuk had gone wild as usual. But those intermittent actions that seemed to melt him persisted, leaving his skin still tingling beneath the surface.
‘If only I enjoy it, it’s disappointing.’
If someone were to ask whether he disliked that, Yoon Pa-ran would suddenly find himself speechless.
“…”
“Why did you call me? Hmm?”
Dan Joo-hyuk, who had been kissing the back of his hand as he pleased, subtly urged him while leaning his body closer.
Since they were both still naked, their chests touched. As their sensitive nipples brushed against each other, Yoon Pa-ran hastily pulled his body back.
“Does it hurt?”
In response, Dan Joo-hyuk followed like lightning and embraced Yoon Pa-ran’s waist, pulling him close.
Yoon Pa-ran’s cock, slightly risen with morning arousal, touched Dan Joo-hyuk’s firm thigh.
“Ngh.”
“Should I bring breakfast to bed?”
Though he must have clearly felt it, Dan Joo-hyuk just smiled like a cunning serpent and kneaded Yoon Pa-ran’s waist. Comically, his touch released the muscle fibers in Yoon Pa-ran’s waist, which he hadn’t even realized were stiff.
Not stopping there, Dan Joo-hyuk very naturally began kissing Yoon Pa-ran’s forehead.
“…”
Strangely, Yoon Pa-ran felt his tension release, even wanting to go limp.
It couldn’t be that a skill was activated this early in the morning…
“Ah.”
“Hmm?”
“Get off me.”
Recalling something at the thought of skills, Yoon Pa-ran pushed Dan Joo-hyuk away. Even so, his arms, strangely losing strength, were clearly affected by yesterday’s events.
There could be no other reason.
Dan Joo-hyuk slowly released Yoon Pa-ran. Like someone reluctant to let go. Anyway, having finally regained his senses, Yoon Pa-ran questioned this pervert.
Clearly, his status window had done something strange again.
“You, yesterday’s thing.”
“Ah. This?”
Though he had only spoken one phrase, Dan Joo-hyuk understood perfectly and smiled.
At the same time, that “halo” Yoon Pa-ran had seen just before passing out appeared behind his head.
“…”
Though he thought he had seen many strange sights while making a living as a hunter, this sight left even Yoon Pa-ran speechless.
Behind Dan Joo-hyuk’s head was a halo, like something from a religious mural. The more he looked at it, the more surreal it seemed.
“I can turn it on and off.”
“Holy shit…”
As Yoon Pa-ran stared blankly, Dan Joo-hyuk smiled and quickly repeated turning the halo behind his head on and off. At this behavior, which was far from sacred and completely ridiculous, Yoon Pa-ran unconsciously cursed.
Why was he so aggravated?
Was it because of Dan Joo-hyuk’s face, which seemed especially radiant today? Or was it because, despite having such a thing on his head, it suited him infuriatingly well?
“It appeared when I reached 100%. It’s called ‘Disciple’s Halo.'”
Was it because he had finally filled that perverted skill to 100%?
“Hah…”
Unlike Dan Joo-hyuk, who spoke calmly, Yoon Pa-ran tightly closed his eyes, trying to overcome the vague sensation washing over him. Then he reopened his eyes with renewed strength.
Yoon Pa-ran’s sharp gaze quickly scanned Dan Joo-hyuk’s broad chest. It wasn’t that he had suddenly become a pervert; he was merely checking whether Dan Joo-hyuk had been injured while he slept.
“I didn’t do anything dangerous.”
Fortunately, this time Dan Joo-hyuk gave a necessary answer instead of a frivolous joke.
“…Good.”
Forgetting his intention to get angry, Yoon Pa-ran felt inexplicably drained.
It was surprising that Dan Joo-hyuk hadn’t rushed into a gate despite gaining such an amazing skill.
“What exactly does this skill do?”
“Who knows? Maybe it’s effective against monsters.”
Like the skill when he reached 90%, it seemed the exact effect wasn’t specified this time either.
As Yoon Pa-ran pondered the implications and effects of this skill, Dan Joo-hyuk said something strange beside him.
“Aren’t you going to praise me?”
“What? Praise?”
“A quest appeared, but I stayed put.”
“…A quest appeared too?”
About to strongly reproach him—praise, what nonsense—Yoon Pa-ran paused for a moment.
So another quest had appeared. Yet he had obediently refrained from doing anything dangerous.
“Yes. But you told me not to do dangerous things, right?”
As he heard those words, his heart strangely thumped.
He couldn’t understand why, but the cause was clear. Feeling heat suddenly rushing to his ears, Yoon Pa-ran pushed Dan Joo-hyuk away again.
“Get away!”
“Hmm…”
Dan Joo-hyuk, who had somehow stealthily drawn close again, was pushed back weakly. Having pushed harder than intended, Yoon Pa-ran unconsciously hesitated and glanced at Dan Joo-hyuk’s reaction.
At that moment, Dan Joo-hyuk suddenly drew near at a speed invisible to the eye.
“Huh?”
Only after feeling Dan Joo-hyuk’s hot lips briefly touch his cheek did Yoon Pa-ran realize what had happened.
“Seems you have enough strength to walk downstairs. Come to the dining room shortly.”
“…”
Ignoring the dumbfounded Yoon Pa-ran, Dan Joo-hyuk got up.
Similarly unclothed, his back view resembled a statue from a museum.
“…”
Unconsciously, he stared blankly at that retreating figure. Then, realizing his own behavior, Yoon Pa-ran hurriedly pulled the blanket over himself.
“Hah…”
His heart had been beating fiercely, unusually so, for some time.
❖ ❖ ❖
Dan Joo-hyuk prepared a hearty breakfast. Eating the perfectly arranged Korean breakfast, Yoon Pa-ran slightly frowned.
It was a bit ridiculous, even now, that he had obediently come down to eat just because Dan Joo-hyuk told him to, as if he were a trained dog.
Since when had they started eating together so naturally?
After slowly finishing breakfast and drinking a glass of grape juice, the two headed toward the gate.
Coincidentally, a gate had opened near the orphanage. Since they also needed to investigate what the new skill was, they entered the gate together, just the two of them, for the first time in a while. If a quest had appeared, they definitely needed to understand its implications for peace of mind.
However, throughout all this movement, Dan Joo-hyuk continued to act strangely.
“Are you tired?”
“No. …Just hurry and try that thing.”
“Alright. Stay back a bit. Just in case.”
Dan Joo-hyuk whispered softly, briefly touching his lips to Yoon Pa-ran’s earlobe. Having already argued about this several times on the way, Yoon Pa-ran just nodded with a slightly tired expression.
“…I get it.”
His behavior was so ticklish that Yoon Pa-ran wondered if he might have injured his head. Looking at Dan Joo-hyuk’s face, which was grinning more than usual, the suspicion wasn’t entirely unfounded.
As Dan Joo-hyuk stepped forward and activated the halo skill, Yoon Pa-ran eyed the back of his head suspiciously. The fact that the halo emanated from his head area only fueled Yoon Pa-ran’s doubts.
Perhaps it was a skill that used intelligence as its cost?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
