Chapter 45
Crackle. Pop.
The sound of burning firewood.
Mae Seol-lan crouched in one corner of the spacious cavern, watching the fish cooking.
She sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, not wearing a single thread of clothing.
Water had pooled in one side of the spacious cavern, and it was quite deep.
After wandering through the maze-like tunnels for several days, Mae Seol-lan had finally discovered this place.
First, there was water to drink, and fish to fill her belly.
Not only that, she could also cut the tree roots that protruded from the walls and use them as firewood.
The amazing thing was that just one day after cutting them, the roots would quickly grow back to their original size.
In fact, the tree roots situated inside the barrier grew quickly due to the influence of mana, but there was no way Mae Seol-lan could know this reasoning.
In any case, in tunnels she couldn’t escape from, this place served as an oasis in the desert.
“Am I… going to die here like this?”
Mae Seol-lan muttered with a dazed expression.
She began tearing into the fish with an expressionless face.
How long had she been trapped here?
It felt like several months had already passed.
She was naked, but she sat with her legs spread carelessly and just tore into the fish.
If anyone had seen this sight, they would have been struck speechless on the spot.
But that would never happen.
Because there was no one here.
Therefore, Mae Seol-lan paid no attention to her appearance at all.
Once, she had left this place to search for an exit.
She returned here after five days.
She had nearly been trapped forever in the maze without being able to return.
She thought she would surely die then.
Various trap mechanisms activated and her clothes became tattered from the abuse.
Moreover, there was even a violent earthquake along with tremendous explosion sounds.
After that, Mae Seol-lan didn’t leave this place.
Thinking she might starve to death wandering the maze without even finding water.
Having roughly finished eating the fish, Mae Seol-lan carelessly threw the bones into one corner and slowly stood up.
Her beautifully curved figure shone brightly in the firelight.
She walked gracefully to the water’s edge and soon splashed into it.
Like a mermaid, she swam underwater, then relaxed her body and floated on the surface.
Tears flowed down her cheeks.
‘It’s all over now. I’m going to grow old and die here. I’ll be fortunate if I don’t go mad before I die.’
As she let out a long sigh, her body sank into the water.
After a while, Mae Seol-lan emerged from the surface and walked out to the water’s edge.
On that wall was a statue she had carved with her Soft Sword.
It was a statue slightly taller than herself, and its face somewhat resembled Sa Bigang.
Mae Seol-lan stood upright in front of the statue and glared at it.
“Look. I came to seduce you. Do you know that?”
Of course the statue couldn’t reply.
Even so, Mae Seol-lan continued speaking as if she had heard an answer.
“You always confused me. But I’ve never failed before. Watch carefully. How do I look?”
Mae Seol-lan slightly twisted her body, emphasizing her full breasts and smooth legs.
She grasped her elastically rising breasts with her slender hands.
“How is it? Don’t you want to touch them?”
Mae Seol-lan’s touch moved increasingly lewdly.
The hands that had been caressing her breasts slid past her lower abdomen between her legs.
“Mmm… Even like this, won’t you come to me? If you just reach out your hand… I am… aah…”
Mae Seol-lan’s body curved in a dizzying arc.
But the statue remained expressionless.
Soon Mae Seol-lan also made a slightly deflated expression and caressed the statue’s cheek.
“Really incomprehensible person. If you look at me so expressionlessly, I can’t know what you’re thinking.”
Her voice trembled faintly.
“Bad… person.”
Finally, a tear trickled down her cheek.
Mae Seol-lan raised her head to look at the statue’s face.
Her touch caressed the statue’s shoulder.
“You… where exactly are you?”
Now her touch moved toward the statue’s hand.
“I miss you. You… won’t you touch me?”
Mae Seol-lan’s face flushed red.
For over a month, she had missed human voices, longed for human gazes, and yearned for human touch.
She was heartbreakingly lonely.
Only venting her frustration and resentment toward the statue, pouring out her lamentations about her situation, it seemed strange emotions had developed.
‘Maybe I’m slowly going mad like this…’
Mae Seol-lan rubbed her naked body against the statue.
“Ahh… good, there. You… a little more…”
That’s when it happened.
“Miss Mae?”
A familiar voice.
Mae Seol-lan started and turned around.
Sa Bigang standing blankly in one corner of the cavern.
Mae Seol-lan smiled bitterly.
“Is it there this time?”
“What are you saying? More than that… why are you naked in a place like this…”
“You appeared again. Damn annoying hallucination. Since it’s come to this, shall I enjoy it?”
Mae Seol-lan laughed cynically.
Actually, this wasn’t the first time.
Once her deceased mother had appeared, and another time a Demonic Faction martial artist she had killed had appeared.
Sa Bigang was one of the regular phantoms that appeared.
“Hallucination? What are you talking about? I’m Sa Bigang.”
Sa Bigang frowned.
Mae Seol-lan walked over rustling in her naked state.
“Really… too real.”
She smiled like an entranced person and approached Sa Bigang.
“Then, kiss me.”
“Kiss you? What are you talking about?”
Sa Bigang made a bewildered expression.
Whoosh!
Mae Seol-lan quickly threw herself at him.
In an instant.
“Miss Mae… mmph!”
“Mm…!”
Their lips met.
Tongues explored each other.
‘Ah…! So real…?’
For a moment, Mae Seol-lan’s eyes widened.
‘No way!’
Shocked, she quickly backed away and pointed with her finger.
“Y-you, you…!”
“Ah, did you come to your senses? Let me say in advance that this is definitely not something I started first…”
“You! Real, really! You’re Sa Bigang?”
“Well, that’s right.”
“That’s… impossible.”
“Hmm… By the way, how long have you been here? You don’t look well at all.”
“Sa Bigang… really you… really Sa Bigang?”
“I keep saying so. Miss Mae, are you alright? You seem seriously…”
“Sa Bigang…!”
Suddenly Mae Seol-lan burst into tears.
“You bad person!”
Mae Seol-lan flew at him and began hitting Sa Bigang wildly, swinging her hands.
“Ah, Miss Mae, wait…!”
But Sa Bigang saw Mae Seol-lan’s expression and gave up.
‘It would be useless, wouldn’t it?’
She probably followed him and got trapped here.
‘She must have been quite frightened.’
Sa Bigang silently let her hit him.
Mae Seol-lan, who had been hitting him for a while, was about to collapse, but Sa Bigang quickly caught her.
“Miss Mae. Are you alright?”
“I… sob, sob, I… missed you so much!”
Mae Seol-lan shouted while looking up.
Her eyes were red and bloodshot, and her cheeks were covered with tears.
Her childlike crying was lovable.
“Miss Mae…”
“Aah, I don’t know! Do you know how scared I was!”
The fear that comes from solitude, alienation, and loneliness was difficult to endure even for the greatest masters.
Mae Seol-lan truly cried like a child, wailing at the top of her voice.
‘This is troublesome.’
Sa Bigang smiled bitterly while gently holding Mae Seol-lan’s waist.
“Miss Mae. Though these aren’t words suitable for such a moment…”
“What?”
“You’re incredibly lovely right now.”
Mae Seol-lan started and tried to pull away.
But Sa Bigang held her waist even more tightly.
“Miss Mae!”
“Why are you… gasp!”
It was instantaneous.
Sa Bigang covered Mae Seol-lan’s lips.
Mae Seol-lan’s hands, which had been pushing him away as if resisting, gradually lost their strength.
Sa Bigang moved his lips to her nape.
“Ahh…!”
Mae Seol-lan’s body writhed like an eel.
She unconsciously hugged Sa Bigang’s neck tightly.
His firm chest muscles touched her soft skin.
Sa Bigang’s lips slowly moved downward, past her perky breasts toward her slender waist.
‘Aah… you…!’
Mae Seol-lan let out a hot breath.
But at that moment.
‘No, I can’t! If you do it with me… if you touch me…!’
She quickly came to her senses and grabbed Sa Bigang’s shoulder tightly.
“Stop, stop it.”
“Why?”
Mae Seol-lan avoided Sa Bigang’s deeply gazing eyes.
‘If you touch me with lust… you will…’
You might die after having all your Internal Energy drained.
But she couldn’t bring herself to say those words.
Sa Bigang looked at her.
“Do you dislike doing this with me? If so…”
“No! That’s not… it!”
She strongly denied it, then started her own outburst.
Her voice gradually became smaller.
Sa Bigang smiled.
“Then why?”
‘Aah, bad person. It’s cheating to look at me with that face…’
Mae Seol-lan unconsciously sighed and confessed the truth.
Even while listening to the story, Sa Bigang maintained a consistent expression throughout.
“…Now do you understand? You… if you do it with me… you might die.”
Sa Bigang grinned.
“If the price for a night spent with you is that much, it’s worth accepting.”
“What kind of foolish talk is that? What if you really die?”
“What if… I don’t die?”
“What did you say?”
“Don’t worry. I don’t die easily.”
Sa Bigang embraced Mae Seol-lan again and pressed his lips to hers.
“Mmph…! What are you saying? Do you really want to die…!”
“Trust me. I’ll be fine.”
“Fool… gasp…!”
Mae Seol-lan unconsciously closed her eyes.
‘How…!’
But she wanted to believe.
No, she was already believing somewhere in her heart.
Yes, this person might be…
Someone who always broke common sense.
Mae Seol-lan gradually relaxed her body and began entrusting everything to Sa Bigang.
Sometimes gentle and calm.
Sometimes rough waves swept over her entire body.
She breathed out hot air while slowly opening her jade gate.
Through it, Sa Bigang brought in pleasure.
***
Two people lying naked side by side in one corner of the cavern.
Sa Bigang’s laughter echoed clearly in the cavern.
“Hahahaha!”
“What’s so funny? Don’t laugh.”
Mae Seol-lan pouted and glared at him.
Sa Bigang, who barely stopped laughing, looked at Mae Seol-lan.
“So that’s why you were here in that state? Huhu.”
“……”
“But why are you telling me all this now?”
“What? That I approached you to seduce you?”
“That’s right.”
“I have no choice. Both you and I are now trapped in this strange tunnel, so we’ll have to rely on each other and live together for the rest of our lives.”
Mae Seol-lan’s face flushed red when she said the last words.
She subtly avoided Sa Bigang’s gaze.
“Then, you plan to spend your whole life here?”
“What choice do I have? There would need to be a way out. If only that were possible…”
Mae Seol-lan, who had been continuing to speak, started and looked at Sa Bigang.
“Don’t tell me… you know a way out of here?”
“Well, I do… but thinking about it, staying here a bit longer as Miss Mae said might be good…”
“What are you talking about! Now? You really know a way out? You can get out of this tunnel? To the outside world?”
“That’s right.”
“Good heavens! But why are you here then?”
“Well… I was on my way out.”
“On your way out? What have you been doing all this time?”
“Well, I had some circumstances.”
“What circumstances! No, more than that, why are you doing this now? If you know a way out, we should leave immediately!”
“Tsk… somehow it feels regrettable to leave like this…”
“What are you saying! Right now!”
Finally, Mae Seol-lan, unable to bear it anymore, shouted loudly.
