How much time had passed?
Suddenly coming to my senses, I felt the stifling heat of the room. Even shaking my head didn’t help clear the fog in my mind. Various scents mingled and pricked my nose, but maybe because I’d grown used to them, they weren’t all that unpleasant.
Slowly scanning the bed, my eyes landed on two women slumped over. The radiant nakedness of those who once didn’t know a man was now sullied with the marks of madness accumulated over a long time. Their bodies rose and fell intermittently, looking utterly exhausted. I remembered taking turns with them, but I had no idea how many times—it stopped mattering after the sixteenth.
Well, if even the veterans were worn out, how could the rookies not be?
“Hey, you two?”
A little worried, I spoke softly. Luckily, they were still conscious. Both staggered slightly as they lifted their upper bodies and turned to look at me. Their vacant, unfocused eyes met mine briefly before they crawled over and buried their heads in my lower body. Yoo Jeong opened her mouth wide and swallowed, while Kim Hanbyeol went even lower…
“Oh.”
The soft, wet sensation of their tongues gently teasing my manhood and balls made me involuntarily sigh. There was no finesse—just sucking and licking—but seeing them respond like this was incredibly endearing. I reached out and gently stroked the crown of Jeong’s head; she nuzzled against my hand, working hard to keep up, which only made her more lovable.
After one round of release, they shared the cum evenly and snuggled into my arms. Like baby birds, they kept pressing their bodies closer, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was a deeply satisfying feeling. Now I understood why the women before had been so desperate to cling to me like this. Yeah, this kind of closeness is what I need too…
Bang…!
Just as I was about to drift off comfortably, a sudden loud noise shattered the moment. For three seconds, my mind went blank. Reflexively, I sharpened my hearing and sensed a group rushing down the stairs. And then—
“…Ah.”
A chill ran through my chest.
Wait, that’s right. We were on an expedition, waiting for the rest of the party… This isn’t the time for this! First, clothes—no, the girls!
“Y-Jeong?”
Soft breathing.
“H-Hanbyeol!”
Snore…
Damn it, they were already asleep? I shook their shoulders, but they didn’t even twitch. Meanwhile, the footsteps were rapidly approaching downstairs. At this rate, they’d find the door and come in within five minutes. And then…
—The door?
—It looks sealed…
At that moment,
“No, no!”
I jumped out of bed immediately.
Click!
The moment the door opened, Im Hanna frowned deeply. She hadn’t even taken a step inside when a strange atmosphere hit her. At first, she thought it was poison gas, but it wasn’t. The air was thick with warmth, a faintly sweet scent, and the rich aroma of night flowers mixed together, pricking her nose. As she paused to savor it, she realized the scent was familiar.
Curious, she stepped in a few paces—and suddenly shouted in surprise.
“S-Suhyun?!”
“Y-Jeong! Hanbyeol!”
Screams came from behind her. The room was ordinary except for having several doors, but in what looked like the living area, three men and women were collapsed on the floor. Kim Hanbyeol and Yoo Jeong lay awkwardly sprawled, while Kim Suhyun sat slumped against the wall, head turned to one side. From the outside, they all appeared unconscious.
“Clan Lord!”
“…”
“Ugh! Give them potions, quick!”
“…”
Clan members rushed over, panicking as they forced open their mouths and poured in potions.
“Suhyun, Suhyun! Open your eyes!”
Gulp… cough… cough… gulp…
“Are you coming to, Suhyun?”
“…”
But no matter how much they slapped cheeks or shook shoulders, Kim Hanbyeol and Yoo Jeong only stared blankly at the ceiling with half-closed eyes, as if in a deep sleep. Kim Suhyun showed no reaction at all, not even attempting to get up. After about thirty minutes of chaos, the clan members finally calmed down when Geunwon told them to stop, saying their lives weren’t in danger.
A little later, Geunwon—the most knowledgeable among them—examined the surroundings carefully and nodded.
“It seems they’ve been caught in an illusion.”
“An illusion?”
“After analyzing the space thoroughly, traces of a ‘Phantom Doppelgänger’ were found everywhere.”
“Phantom Doppelgänger?”
Go Yeonju looked around, but everyone shook their heads. It was understandable—such a rare monster was unknown to most. But that wasn’t the real problem.
“Let me explain simply. It’s a terrifying creature that forcibly casts illusions on its victims, then preys on their weakened state.”
“Still, I find it hard to believe it was just an illusion… Suhyun’s mental strength is incredible.”
“She’s human, after all. The scary thing about this monster is that once it succeeds, it can manipulate the constructed illusion at will—including time.”
“…Manipulate time?”
“Yes. While we were coming here, who knows how many years, decades, or even centuries of illusions Suhyun might have experienced.”
“…”
Not just a few days, but possibly hundreds of years. The gravity of that sank in, and everyone’s faces grew serious.
“Wait a minute. That’s strange. If this Phantom Doppelgänger attacked these three, shouldn’t it still be around?”
At that moment, Jegal Haesol, who had been quietly listening, asked sharply. Geunwon opened his mouth as if to answer, then suddenly closed it and stared off into the distance.
“…Geunwon?”
“I don’t know.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t know.”
Jegal Haesol pressed further, but all he got was the same answer. Go Yeonju’s worry didn’t fade, but for now, she was relieved that their lives weren’t in danger. Whether it was a mental issue or not, they needed to leave this place quickly to recover.
With that in mind, Go Yeonju asked Geunwon to watch over the three and began exploring the rooms with the remaining clan members. After all the effort to reach the depths, she wasn’t about to give up the progress now.
But when she entered the room with the bed, Go Yeonju suddenly stopped. Her eyes narrowed with a troubled look. She had noticed the strange scent upon entering, but just as she was getting used to it, the smell suddenly intensified—right from the moment she stepped inside.
Then it happened. As her gaze searched for the source of the smell, her wide-open eyes locked onto the bed. Like she was hypnotized, Go Yeonju lifted the sheets.
No, she didn’t even need to lift them. Who was Go Yeonju? The “Shadow Queen,” unmatched in espionage skills—even Kim Suhyun would concede she was a master.
She poked the bed with her index finger and pulled it back, revealing a sticky thread of fluid. The sheets were stained with two large red bloodstains, spread out like a world map. That alone was enough. It was painfully clear what kind of acts had taken place on this bed.
“Some tried everything to save someone…”
She softly licked the fluid off her finger with the tip of her tongue.
“While others… on this very bed…”
Suddenly, a cold, sharp light flashed in Go Yeonju’s eyes.
“Ho… hoho… really, it’s absurd.”
A wicked, chilling laugh began to escape her lips.
“Unnie, what’s going on here…?”
Coincidentally, Im Hanna, drawn by the laughter, approached cautiously, trailing off mid-sentence. Seeing Go Yeonju laughing in front of the bed looked very strange. Tilting her head, Hanna stepped closer.
“Hoo… huhu…”
About ten seconds later, she started laughing just like Go Yeonju, her face soft and gentle.
But it didn’t end there.
“Ah… haha…”
Soon after, Nam Daeun entered, chuckling.
“Ha… haha…”
And finally, Jung Hayeon arrived.
All of them wore deep smiles, their laughter twisted and eerie.
A moment later.
“Wow! This is insane!”
“Sisters! Look at this! Gold, treasures, elixirs, herbs, equipment! The rewards here are unbelievable…!”
Jin Suhyun burst into the room, grinning ear to ear with excitement.
“Hohohohoho!”
“Huhuhuhuhuhu!”
“Ahahahaahaha!”
“Hahahahaha!”
Watching the four women around the bed laugh wildly, Jin Suhyun was speechless. It was almost instinctual—she knew that if she interrupted now, she might get herself killed.
Thinking quickly, Jin Suhyun quietly backed away.
The door closed softly behind her, but the lingering, bitter laughter from inside the room echoed for a long time.
Meanwhile, at the same time.
Bang!
“No!”
An Sol slammed the table hard and jumped up from her chair.
“Pfft!”
“Cough!”
The impact caused Heo Junyoung beside her and Kim Yuhyun across the table to spit out their drinks. But Kim Yuhyun calmly pulled a cloth from inside her robe and began wiping her face.
“Hmm… User An Sol?”
“…Yes!”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you suddenly shout like that?”
“My brother is in danger!”
Bang! Ansol slammed the table once again, shouting out. It was a completely unexpected outburst. But Kim Yuhyun knew exactly who the person in front of him was, what kind of presence they held. So he didn’t brush it off lightly and calmly continued speaking.
“What do you mean? You’re saying Suhyun is in danger?”
“I—I don’t really know much. It’s just…”
Ansol bit her lip.
“There’s a group that resents my brother… It feels like they’re just now starting to move in earnest.”
“A group that resents him?”
Kim Yuhyun’s eyes sharpened. There was something in Ansol’s words that caught his attention.
‘Could it really be those demons…?’
Heojunyoung shook his head, muttering that this was starting all over again, but Kim Yuhyun quietly spoke up.
“A group, you say… What kind of group?”
“That group… they’re targeting my brother. They want to join forces and take him down… united by a single grudge.”
“Do you know who they are? Or if there’s any way to stop them?”
“No, there isn’t. No matter who my brother is, I don’t think he can stop them this time. That’s the strong feeling I get.”
Kim Yuhyun’s expression immediately turned grave. After a moment, as if realizing he couldn’t just sit still, he stood up. Turning toward the trembling Ansol and the blank-faced Heojunyoung, he spoke.
“I’ll be going now. It looks like we need to move the plan forward a bit.”
“Whatever you say.”
“About today’s meeting…”
“Of course, as you wish. For now, let’s keep this confidential.”
Kim Yuhyun nodded and quickly turned away.
“But—”
At that moment, Heojunyoung’s voice caught the collar of Kim Yuhyun’s jacket.
“All we can do is support Kim Suhyun’s choices.”
“……”
“Hamel Road’s plan… well, it doesn’t sound entirely bad at first glance, so I’ll keep quiet. But I don’t think Hamel Road has told us everything, so there’s not much more we can do. We can only stand with Kim Suhyun’s decisions and actions.”
“That’s exactly what I want from you.”
With those words, Kim Yuhyun turned and disappeared beyond the main gate.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Just a little side note: the group with Ko Yeonju, Nam Daeun, Lim Hanna, and Jung Hayun is called ‘Someday Fivesome.’ :)