Chapter 6 - Ear Licking

"So, this is a dungeon, huh…?"

Yuuto muttered as he stepped into the snowy wasteland, the cold wind biting at his face.

"Alright. Let's walk toward the group."

He sighed, hands stuffed into his pockets.

'Convenient that this place is snow-themed.'

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a knife.

'I can summon knives. Damn.'

A chuckle escaped him as he tossed the blade into the air.

'Run really fast, be a superhero. Ah, the weight of expectations, blah blah. What is my purpose? Do my powers have any meaning?'

His smirk deepened.

'Uncle wreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen, uncle wreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen, I neeed guiiidaaance. Pls, Gim the Dumbbold me some guidannnnnnnnce urghhhhhhhhhhhhh I need to be guided, I'm a lost lambbbbbbb arughlalealag…'

Yuuto swirled his tongue, imagining a MILF licking his ear.

He sighed.

'Haaah... Even though this is a plains-type biome, I can't see shit in this blizzard. Still got three days left. Might as well find some shelter, kill some mobs, loot their meat, make a cobblestone furnace, and craft some kimbap or kyombabapmpmba or whatever. Out of the 10,000 dishes I somehow know how to make since getting reincarnated. Culinary sensation, by the way.'

He shrugged, wandering deeper into the storm.

'Should've reallllllly brought some supplies with me.'

Yuuto sighed, plopping down on a rock.

'Oh well. Just find Kiril, save him, then I'm out. Living three days without food isn't that critical… The real problem is getting lost in this place.'

His fingers flicked in the air.

"Status window."

A blue screen popped up before his eyes.

'Igloo. If I had more mana, I'd use that skill right now. Such an OP skill… What a shame that dumbass barely uses it. Do you realize how much money you'd save? AT LEAST 10 TIMES 10,000 YEN. Also, your life.'

He narrowed his eyes.

'Oh, I know.'

He called out loud:

"Inventory."

A window flashed open.

Yuuto grinned.

'Haruno, you sly motherfucker. Thank god you had at least some brains.'

Reaching into the digital storage, he pulled out a sandwich.

Perfectly preserved.

'Ham. Mayo. Lettuce. Tomato. What am I, American?'

He took a bite, chewing slowly.

'Oh, right. Wren's from New York. Guess he got his taste from him. You'd expect a neatly packed bento or something. But nope. Just greasy sandwich energy. Not bad, though. Greasy food's good for the cold.'

Yuuto hummed, swallowing.

His gaze drifted to the ice beneath him.

'Bet I COULD melt that for water.'

He exhaled, tapping his fingers against his knee.

'Alright. For now, I'll wait here. If this storm doesn't clear in an hour…'

A glance at his phone.

[ No Reception ]

His eyebrow twitched.

'I'll just take a guess and start walking in some direction.'

And then—

A roar.

Yuuto's head snapped up, sandwich halfway to his mouth.

"…Oh."

Yuuto looked.

There was a bear.

A BIG brown bear, scar slashing across one eye, surrounded by dozens of other bears.

"ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!"

Its gaze bored into him.

Yuuto smirked.

'So, you want to fight, huh?'

'Fine by me. I needed to get used to battling SOMETHING before taking on a hunter...'

--- A MOMENT LATER ---

"BUT IT WOULDN'T BE NOW!!! SHIT!!!"

Yuuto's teeth clenched as he bolted, the thunderous sound of dozens—no, HUNDREDS—of bears shaking the ground behind him.

"THAT'S TOO MANY BEARS! THERE'S LIKE, 100 AT MINIMUM!!"

His heart pounded.

His feet slammed into the snow, wind whipping past his ears.

'Luckily, they're not as fast as me—'

He skidded to a stop, panting, hands on his knees.

'Damn it... I know I could probably take 'em. But the manhwa was never clear on how much damage each monster inflicted, or how Haruno's stats affected damage intake.'

He glanced down at himself.

'I need to play it safe. I may be overpowered, sure...'

He exhaled, his thoughts drifting. Haruno. Taking his own life.

'Not inv—'

TITLE CARD

'HUH!?' His head snapped up, his eyes scanning the area.

'What was that!?' He thought to himself while taking a few deep breaths, regaining his composure.

'Ah... Damn it.' He then realized.

'I lost my sandwich.'

--------------------------

Kiril pulled off his shirt, hidden away from the students setting up camp. From the bushes, Hojin watched.

'Heh… Found that little bitch's best friend. Taking his clothes off alone, huh?' His fingers twitched.

'No one's watching… I'mma kill his ass.' He shifted forward, body coiling—ready to strike.

But then—Kiril's shirt dropped.

Hojin's breath hitched. Plump. Too plump. His body… too slender. Smooth, pale skin.

Hojin froze, his face burning. '…Huh!?' A cold realization crashed into him.

'FUCK—WRONG GUY!! THAT WASN'T HIS FRIEND…!! OR EVEN A GUY!!' His legs moved on instinct, dragging him backward. He whipped around—stopped. His smirk returned.

'No… That WAS definitely Kiril.' He exhaled. 'So… he had a little secret, huh?' His smirk widened.

But then—

"HEY!" A sharp voice cut through the trees.

Hojin's body snapped to attention. 'Shit!' His eyes darted back. A figure. Sakuya.

Her fish-like stare bore into him. "What are you doing here? Get back to the group." Her tone was sharp, unbothered.

Hojin swallowed. "Ah… S-sorry, Miss Yama… It's just that… there's someone out there alone. A student."

Sakuya's fists tightened as she clicked her tongue. 'These fucking students are really stupid, huh?'

"Alright. Thanks for letting me know. I'll take it from here. Go back. Now." She stepped forward, passing Hojin without hesitation.

He exhaled, a chuckle slipping through his lips. 'Shit… I couldn't even sense her.' He turned back toward the camp, his smirk deepening.

'Well… doesn't even matter. Aren't you glad, Kiril… or whatever your name is?' His tongue ran over his lips. 'I don't plan to kill you anymore…'

Kiril exhaled, staring down at her chest.

'They got bigger again…' Her fingers traced over the bandages, a dull ache throbbing beneath. 'I'll have to adjust them… What a pain…'

She let out a breath. "Cyka…" Her shoulders sagged. 'No wonder they hurt more than usual today. I was so worried…'

Her eyes lowered. 'I know I have to keep it a secret…' A face flashed in her mind. Haruno. Her fingers tensed.

'But I…' Her breath shook. 'I wanna tell him. I hate… keeping things from Haruno.' She then grimaced.

"If only that шлюха wasn't the only thing on his mind..." She spat, recalling Misaki's face and Haruno's infatuation with her.

'Though…' She then smiled with a slight blush. 'He laughed with me while I swore at her today…'