Chapter 562 – The Hamlet of the Nymphs

I consumed the nymph.

I was compelled to do so as it enabled me to absorb her power.

“Keeeying…”

The creatures of the wilderness are the most candid when it comes to their desires.

The spirit, having been ravished once, had now become so docile that she could be said to be fully submissive.

– Rustle.

She nestled her head against me in a plea for affection, a yearning reflected in the innocent depths of the nymph’s eyes.

Her skin seemed slightly roughened, a consequence of the magic that constituted the nymph’s body.

“Kyoo… Kyoo?”

The nymph, making a purring sound, nestled in my arms.

For a spirit, her childish antics were disproportionately abundant. She could have walked on her own, yet even when I clearly showed signs of discomfort, she insisted on being held.

“My arm’s aching. Should I let you go?”

If I attempted to release the nymph like this,

“Kyooooo!!”

She reacted in such a manner. The nymph vehemently protested with her peculiar voice every time. It’s not that she was heavy, but her presence was bothersome. Maintaining balance was challenging due to her unnecessarily large form.

Nevertheless, I had managed to secure a high-quality spirit. One more was required to proceed to the next gateway.

Furthermore, I discovered that overpowering these spirits could enhance my strength.

‘To improve my resonance with the spirits, I need to take more assertive action.’

I must not cease my endeavors.

Fortunately, I have developed some tolerance for this kind of activity. I might have hesitated if it were a small animal like a rabbit. But I was determined to manage well even with a moderately sized animal.

“Kyoo?”
[Kyoo!]
“Kyoo!”
[Kyoo?]

I observed the rabbit that ceaselessly followed me, and the nymph who was communicating with it.

“Listen.”
“Kkying?”
“Are there any spirits similar to you around here?”

The conversation might have seemed slightly misaligned from a human perspective, but the intentions of the Spirit Sage were understood. The nymph blinked her round eyes and descended from my arms, crying out, “Kyo-Kyo~!” Had she understood my words precisely?

“Kyo, Kyo-Kyo-Kyo! Kyo-Kyo-Kyo-Kyo?”

She gestured for me to follow her, and I commenced my journey through the forest, using the nymph as my guide.

– Rustle.

The distance appeared substantial. Several minutes of walking yielded no sight of any spirits. It felt as though someone had captured all the spirits in the vicinity.

‘Could there be another intruder? Could it be Saku?’

Should I harness my magic to strategize further? As I considered this, I felt a strange object in my pocket. I inserted my hand and pulled it out.

A slightly soft stone, basking in a pink hue. This was the stone I had acquired when hunting the nymph.

‘How should I utilize this…’

As I pondered, I decided to initially adopt a standard approach.

The fruits borne of carnal union are typically beneficial when consumed. Just like the fruit that sprouted from the head of a wooden being, did this not also grow from the head of a nymph?
I placed it in my mouth and swallowed without chewing.

– Uuummm.

The stone that had passed into me began to hum.
A heat surged within my belly, and the blood coursing through my heart quickened.
It seemed a tad more firm than before, perhaps the arousal had reached my phallus too.

Was the ingestion method correct?
As I mulled over this, gripping my crotch, the nymph gently tapped my shoulder.

“Kyoo!”

Tap, tap-

The nymph, who had patted my shoulder, pointed toward a waterfall.
There, another nymph, bearing the likeness of a woman, was perched.

I summoned the rabbit and the nymph, directing them toward the waterfall.

“Kyoo!” [“Kyoo!”]
“…Ming?”

The nymph from the waterfall greeted the forest nymph with a radiant smile.

“Miming, Ming?”

The nymph, having tidied her cerulean hair, dashed from the waterfall to meet the two spirits.

This innocent tribe tends to drop their guard when conversing with others.

– Thump.

Unbeknownst to me, I had approached the nymph at the waterfall.
I gingerly grasped the nymph’s waist.

“Ming?!”

Caught off guard, the waterfall nymph tried to escape, but it was too late.
I drove my engorged member into the nymph.

“Meeoww!”

* * * * * * * * * * *

“Meing…”
“Kyoo.”

Only after I had taken both of them did I become certain.

‘To sap their power… Do I need to penetrate them from behind?’

This might be exclusive to nymphs, but the genitals used in typical relations proved useless in the context of spirit relations.

A spirit, akin to a nymph, has a kind of protector that prevents my magic from reaching it.
Engaging in intercourse temporarily breaks down this barrier.
If you infuse magic during this fleeting moment, the pact concludes.
Simultaneously, utilizing the nymphs’ posterior seemed to heighten spirit responsiveness.

‘The issue is their reluctance to obey.’

I lowered my gaze to inspect the two nymphs.

“Meow… Meow…”

– Slurp, suck, chomp.

“Kyoo?”

– Smack, smack.

These two, competing in a contest of who could pleasure my lower body better.
They were like lionesses gnawing at the testicles of a sedated lion.
I had no intention of participating, yet they were fervently attempting to extract my semen.

‘Am I lacking in strength?’

The rabbit could be controlled at will.
It responds according to my desire, but these two nymphs were different.

‘Do I need to name them?’

Two nymphs of insatiable desire, one following the other if one is taken.
Their cries are heard as soft whimpers and gentle murmurs.

“From this day forth, you shall be known as Whimper and Murmur.”
“Whimper?”
“Murmur?”

Their power is no different from that of an intermediate spirit, so even if they return to the mortal realm, there is little need to summon them.
Yet, in the unchanging subservient relationship, names offer some form of identity.

Perhaps like the countless trees with which I’ve shared intimate connections. It is always possible to part ways after sharing merely the physical.
Thus, I refrained from assigning names that required serious contemplation.

“Now, let’s proceed.”

I detached the heads of the two nymphs and adjusted my loosened trousers.
With a swift kick, I vacated the seat and directed my steps toward the portal before me.

[3] ⟶ [0]

The counter responds as all three spirits enter.
The defensive barrier that obstructed the portal dissolves, revealing a magic circle glowing in ethereal blue.

A warp, capable of transporting living entities to a different space.
Having deciphered the elemental nature of the magic, I placed my hand on the ground from which the magic circle emerged, infusing it slowly with my own energy.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Spirit Mountain is classified as an immutable dungeon.

An immutable dungeon, by definition, is a dungeon in which the environment, the creatures that inhabit it, and the events within do not change until it is cleared.

The trials bestowed by Spirit Mountain are always identical,
The spirits within it also materialize at the same designated locations each time.

The second portal is particularly remarkable for its unchanging nature.

A simple mission of eliminating one of the three calamities that have befallen the spirit village.
One of these calamities involves pacifying the enraged spirits of a distant lake.
Another involves solving the mystery of a murderer causing disorder in the village.
And the last involves retrieving the lost scriptures of the spirit realm.

“It may resemble a game, but most dungeons do. It’s a game where lives hang in the balance.”
“…So, which task will Haku undertake?”
“Well…”

Haku strokes her chin, contemplating her subordinate’s question.

“Catching up with Saku is the priority now, so I won’t be visiting the village.”

Immediately after passing through the first gate. Ordinarily, the narrative would unfold as a humanoid spirit approaches us.
However, a quicker strategy is required at present.
Implementing this necessitates a few strategic maneuvers.

“Typically, one would visit the village and inquire about the portal. To obtain the key for opening the portal, favors are usually performed. But there’s no necessity for that.”
“What does that mean?”
“We will subjugate the spirits directly. That action alone will grant us the credentials. There’s no need for a key from the beginning.”

If the construction of a dungeon were likened to the process of coding, it would be a task to make its architect seethe with frustration. Haku, her breast thudding with a confident rhythm, advanced with conviction.

– Thud-thud, thud-thud.

The void they left behind. Before it, a peddler nymph started her search for Haku, her eyes darting about the entrance.

“Traveler Lady!”

A peddler nymph whose duty was to transport Haku to the village. The nymph scanned the surroundings with a mumbled utterance. Haku had already departed, leaving the nymph bewildered, her gaze circling the vicinity.

“Why not… up? It’s not right to… up.”

The nymph stamped her feet, meticulously scouring the surroundings. From behind her, Haku emerged, muttering something.

“Ah, I see.”
“Traveler Lady? You were here, weren’t you?”
“She’s better off dead.”

She advised her following servant, unsheathing her sword and slicing the nymph in two. As the nymph’s innocent chest was pierced, her eyes widened in shock.

“Traveler Lady… a sword…?”

She fell silent, unable to utter a word.

“A peddler…?”

The dead peddler nymph. Haku, her face devoid of guilt, unpacked the nymph’s belongings and rifled through them.

“There’s quite a good potion in this bag.”
“Is it right to kill her like this?”
“She’ll revive anyway. Didn’t I tell you? It’s an immutable dungeon.”

At least, that’s the knowledge they had so far. Yoshino had already overcome numerous such barriers.

Whether they set the village aflame or murdered someone, it was irrelevant. In due time, everything would revert to its original state. Countless magical stones were mined this way, and the nymphs’ villages were looted for their wealth. Saku, the innocent one, might not have understood, but Haku, who had ventured into dungeon conquests a few times, was well aware.

“The elder nymph here has a pretty good elixir, but… let’s move on now.”
“Elixir! Isn’t that worth tens of thousands of dollars?”
“More than that. It’s an elixir from an S-tier dungeon. Our family prospered because of it. That’s why the Yoshino clan’s spirit resonance is so high.”

Having thoroughly looted the nymph’s corpse, Haku rose from her spot.

“Let’s move on now. We don’t have much time.”

Haku needed to progress faster than Saku. The fourth gate, the deepest place said to conceal Yoshino Somei, the Cherry Blossom King. She must discern its true nature.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

-Wooooooooo!

Her vision swirled. Her strength ebbed away, and she collapsed onto the ground, her eyelids lifting to a peculiar sense of déjà vu and a sharp pang of pain.

She first surveyed her surroundings before making a deduction.

‘The whimpering and the mewing ones are missing.’

Could it be that the ridiculous names had hurt them? As she looked around at the spirits tethered to her, she noticed three spirits at first glance.

First, I summoned my steadfast ally, the rabbit.

– Poof!

[Hmm?]

Seemingly faring well in a place unseen to my eyes, the black rabbit froze mid-graze, turning to regard me. Curious, it tilted its head, silently questioning my summons.

‘The bond remains intact, then.’

Contrary to contractual obligations, there is little need for extensive magic. Compared to Eleanor and Lucy, this is an exceedingly efficient summoning spell. The abundant magical environment undoubtedly played a part too.

– Rustle.

Just then, a charming nymph emerged from the underbrush. Upon seeing me, her eyes sparkled. She jumped and shouted, her belongings jingling.

“The Traveler has arrived!”

She ambled towards me, arms flailing, and exhibited all manner of cuteness. Whether she was feigning or genuinely adorable, I couldn’t tell. But unlike other nymphs, she was appropriately dressed.

“Do you speak the human tongue?”

“I’m a peddler nymph! I can speak human, a little!”

“Ah, is that so?”

The nymph, hauling a load as big as herself, clutched my wrist tightly.

“Traveler, are you strong?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I have a request!”

“A request…?”

She nodded earnestly. This seemed to be directly connected to the journey towards the next gateway.

The nymph articulated as clearly as she could with her imperfect pronunciation.

“Please…! Protect our village!”

Protect their village?

At that moment, the rabbit wriggled from my grasp.

[Hmm?]

Meeting the rabbit’s gaze, the nymph seemed to stop breathing for a moment.

“So, so cute!”

She flexed her fingers as if she desired to scoop it up right then. I held out the rabbit and asked,

“Do you want to touch it?”

“May I really?”

“Touch. Touch to your heart’s content.”

The nymph approached cautiously, reaching out to grab the rabbit. I subtly pulled back my hand to prevent her from doing so.

“But, I want to touch it!”

The eager nymph shuffled forward. As I held the rabbit high, the nymph clambered onto my lap to embrace it. The nymph, now seated on my thigh, managed to gather the rabbit in her arms.

“Kyaaa! It’s adorable!”

For nymphs, carrots and rabbits were the ultimate treasures. Thanks to her, I had the upper hand.

[Hmm?]

“Rabbit nymph~ Rabbit nymph! Won’t you come with the Traveler?”

With the defenseless nymph seated on my lap, my hand reached out silently.